While It Lasts
by Ashlala93
Summary: Of all the auto shops in Georgia, she had to walk into his... Daryl's always been an awkward kinda guy. Just a side-effect of growing up poor in the shadows of his big brother Merle, he supposed. Then along came Ace. Fresh from Atlanta, this girl is looking for a distraction, and Daryl's it. AU Daryl Dixon/OC. No walkers. Updating every Thursday AEST.
1. Chapter 1

Daryl frowned and ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair as he surveyed the engine of the crapped out Camaro before him.

"The fuck have you done to it now, Jimmy?" he said to thin air as he tried to work out what the hell was wrong with the car this time.

Jimmy Trickett's Camaro ended up in the Dixon's repair shop at least twice a month. It was the biggest piece of shit in town, and Daryl had to wonder why Jimmy didn't just cut his losses and get a new fucking car.

He groaned and grabbed a socket wrench, leaning over the engine bay and getting to work. This was more often than not the only way to figure out what was wrong with this particular car. Take eveything apart and try and find the broken thing. His brother knew it, which was why, every time the Camaro came through the doors, the task fell to Daryl. As far as Merle Dixon was concered, he had better things to do with his time.

As if reading his brother's thoughts, Merle chose that exact moment to appear around the corner.

"You finally up, huh?" Daryl asked, unable to keep the accusatory tone from his voice.

Merle cocked an eyebrow.

"Don't you cock a fuckin' attitude, boy." he told his baby brother. "You wasn't the one with some hot ass bouncin' up and down on your piece all last night, was you? I'm fucking wrecked."

Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, my heart bleeds for ya, man." he told his brother sarcastically. "You gonna help me out here or what?"

Merle shook his head, not surprising Daryl for a second.

"Sorry baby brother." he said, his tone contradicting his words. "I got-"

"Other shit to do." Daryl finished for him somewhat bitterly. "When don't ya?"

Merle narrowed his eyes.

"What did I say about that attitude, boy? Check it, now. Else you gonna end up chokin' on ya teeth."

Daryl scoffed, knowing his big brother's threats were empty. Since they were kids, Merle had always been there. Even after their mother died and their piece of shit father lit out for a better life, Merle had taken his brother under his wing and kept him looked after as best he knew how. There was no way Merle would ever do him harm.

"So what you got on today, then?" Daryl asked, cocking his head towards his brother as he went back to work on the Camaro.

Merle sighed.

"Jason quit." he said simply, causing Daryl to stop what he was doing once more and turn to face his brother.

"You fuckin' serious man?" he demanded. "That's bullshit, we can't run this shop with just the two of us!"

"There's still Mikey." Merle pointed out, causing Daryl to snort scornfully.

"Yeah, useless as tits on a fuckin' bull, that boy is." he remarked.

Mikey was only seventeen, and was their unofficial apprentice. They paid him a pittance and, in return, the kid barely ever showed up for work. And when he did, Daryl wished he hadn't. Every instruction just seemed to go in one ear and blow straight out the other.

"Don't worry yourself, boy." Merle told him, opening the bar fridge they kept in the garage and pulling out two beers. "I got someone coming in today. We'll see how he goes."

Daryl straightened up once more and wiped his sweaty brow on his bare forearm, sticking the socket wrench into the pocket of his grease-stained jeans. He turned to his brother and accepted the beer he was being offered, leaning against the car and taking a deep swig.

"Who you got?" he asked, curious as to which piece of scum from the local bar Merle had dug up this time.

"Ace Hatlin." Merle replied as he leaned up beside his brother.

Daryl frowned.

"Never heard of the guy." he said simply.

"I ain't either, but I was talkin' to Jase down at the bar last night. When he quit he gave me the name and got in contact with the guy. Set up for him to come down and show us what he's got. Apparently he just blew in from Atlanta, lookin' for a job."

Daryl nodded absently and opened his mouth to ask what time this new guy would be here, when he was interrupted by the clearing of a throat from somewhere behind him.

The brothers turned around to find a pretty girl leaning against the frame of the garage door. She had long, dark hair that hung in loose curls to her waist. She had deep brown eyes set into a soft, round face with a button nose and full, pink lips. She was wearing what had obviously been an old Motorhead shirt at one point. It hung from one of her shoulders and it had been cut down to reveal her midriff, fraying material escaping the garment onto her toned abdomen. Her long legs were encased in Daisy Duke style shorts, and bikers boots that ended mid-calf.

Daryl watched as his big brother's face lit up. He rolled his eyes. _Here we go, _he thought._ Another girl about to fall victim to Merle Dixon_. Daryl honestly had no idea how his brother did it. He certainly wasn't the best looking guy, and he treated women like shit, but he always seemed to have them falling at his feet.

"Well hello, sugar." Merle drawled, his mouth stretching into a wide smile. "How can I help you this fine mornin'? Havin' car trouble?"

The girl cocked half a smile.

"No." she told them, her southern accent evident, though nowhere near as strong as Merle's. "Jason Bird called me last night, said y'all might have a gig for me down here. You Merle?"

The brothers' jaws dropped.

"_You're_ Ace Hatlin?" Merle demanded.

The girl nodded.

"Yup."

Silence prevailed for a few moments in the garage. Merle looked outraged, while Ace simply stood there looking bored, as though she had been expecting this. A couple of times, her brown eyes locked with Daryl's baby blues and she shot him a small smile. He looked away quickly, keeping his face impassive.

Finally, Merle spoke.

"Wait here a sec." he told the newcomer before turning on his heel and stalking off into the tiny office he kept at the back of the garage.

"Look man, you either got a job for me or ya don't! I don't got all day!" she called after his retreating back, recieving no answer as he slammed the door.

She sighed and turned to Daryl.

"He on his rags?" she asked, exasperated.

Daryl bit back a laugh, not meeting the woman's eyes.

"I... uh... I'll go see what he's..." he trailed off, somewhat pathetically.

Daryl Dixon never did know what to say to a woman. At least, not without a few beers in his system. He quickly turned on his heel and followed Merle into the office, leaving Ace standing by the door, thoroughly confused.

"I don't give a _fuck_, man!" Merle was screaming down the phone at who Daryl could only assume was Jason. "You sendin' a fuckin' _girl_ into my shop for a job ain't no fuckin' joke!"

Daryl watched as his brother fell silent, not looking happy in the slightest.

"Yeah, whatever ya say, man." he conceded finally. "But if this don't work out, it's on you."

And with those final words, he slammed down the phone and looked up at his brother.

"Jase says she fixed his bike up for him a couple of times while he was in Atlanta." he told the younger man. "Claims there ain't no better motorcycle mechanic in the state."

"What about him?" Daryl asked with a chuckle.

"He leaves for Texas tomorrow. Got a better offer." Merle said regretfully. "He swears up and down this girl knows her shit, but I ain't buyin' it. The fuck kinda girl knows as much as a man about motorcycles?"

Daryl shrugged.

"Couldn't hurt to give her a chance."

Merle shot his brother a venomous look.

"What? You got some other brilliant mechanic shoved up your ass?" Daryl defended himself. "Cause if you don't, it don't look like we got a whole lotta choice, brother."

Merle sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Alright, fine. I'll put her to work, but you keep a fuckin' eye on her." he agreed grudgingly before his face split into a grin. "Who knows, baby brother? Ya might even get this girl to go to bed with ya! She looks the sort who's into desperation."

Daryl grimaced, and shrugged off the heavy hand Merle clapped down on his shoulder as he walked past him and out the door. He quickly follwed his brother back into the garage.

Ace was exactly where they had left her, leaning against the garage door, her arms folded across her chest, an impatient look twisting her features.

"Alright you, over here." Merle demanded.

Ace gave a triumphant smirk as she stood up and crossed the garage to where the brothers stood.

"This is the motorcyle mechanic's bay." Merle told her. "This here Harley belongs to a friend o' mine. Pull it apart, figure out what's wrong with it and put it back together by the end of the day, and you got yourself a job."

She gave a curt nod and moved over to the bike, dropping to her knees beside it and grabbing the toolbox sitting near the rear wheel.

"You right to hold down the fort here, baby brother?" Merle asked Daryl as they watched her get to work. "I gotta zip into town, pick up the new gas tank for my bike."

Daryl nodded.

"Yeah, I got it." he said, turning to go back to the Camaro.

His brother caught his arm.

"That can wait." he told him in a low whisper. "Watch her."

Daryl shot a glance at Ace, who was hard at work taking Johnnie's Harley apart.

"Alright." he told Merle.

His brother shot him half a smile and gave a nod of farewell as he left the garage.

Daryl grabbed another beer from the fridge and pulled up a stool in the motorcycle bay, sipping from the bottle as he watched Ace work. Minutes passed in silence and, before he knew it, she had the bike in pieces before her.

"You got a name?" she asked suddenly "Or ya just gonna sit there and stare at me all day and not say anything?"

Daryl jumped, taken aback by her blunt tone and take-no-prisoners attitude. He fought to keep the blush out of his cheeks, but he was sure he failed. Not that it mattered. She hadn't once taken her eyes off the task before her to turn and look at him

"Uh... Daryl." he said finally, feeling like an asshole.

She didn't reply for a few moments, busy checking over each individual part on the ground in front of her.

"You Merle's brother?" she asked eventually.

"Yeah." Daryl replied lamely, having no idea what else to say.

"Guy seems like a jerk." she stated matter-of-factly, finally turning around.

"He's alright." Daryl insisted, coming to his brother's defense as he always did. "Just gotta give him a chance."

Silence fell again, but only for a few moment until it was broken, this time by Daryl.

"You figured out what's wrong yet?" he asked her, taking another swig of his beer.

"Yup." she replied. "Ain't nothin' I can fix, though."

Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"If you can't fix it, ain't exactly gonna inspire Merle to give you a job." he pointed out.

She turned back to face him, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"All I meant is that it ain't nothin' mechanical." she clarified. "Somebody pissed in the gas tank. Fuel's contaminated. No wonder this bike wasn't goin'. Gas tank just needs a cleanout, and maybe some new rings. I checked the valves, and they're fine."

Daryl laughed in spite of himself. Johnnie Sims was an okay guy, but he found it difficult to keep his fly zipped. Other guys wives and daughters were all his to-do list consisted of, and it wasn't the first time he'd gotten his gas tank pissed in as a result, nor would it be the last.

"Sounds about right." he said, still grinning. "Alright, wash that tank out and get that bike back together before Merle gets back."

He put his beer bottle to his lips and drained the dregs before standing up and crossing back to Jimmy's Camaro.

"How'd you figure out the tank had been pissed in, anyway?" he called over his shoulder. The alcohol was beginning to take effect, and his confidence was beginning to rise.

"Don't take a genius. One whiff of the gas tank told me that wasn't gas."

Daryl chuckled to himself as he took the socket wrench out of his pocket and bent over the engine bay of the Camaro once more. He heard Ace begin to flush out Johnnie's gas tank before sitting back down next to the bike to change the rings. The time passed quickly and, before long, Daryl heard Merle's bike pull up outside. His brother's voice carried over to them, along with that of another and Daryl could only guess that Merle had brought Johnnie back with him to check on Ace's progress.

"How's it hangin', baby brother?" Merle crowed as he entered the garage with Johnnie waddling along behind him as fast as his short, fat legs could carry him.

"A little to the left. Needs some adjustment." Daryl replied, forgetting for a moment that there was a female present.

"Jesus H, Merle!" Johnnie exclaimed. "You got a fuckin' girl workin' on my bike! You taken leave of your damn senses!?"

Merle ignored his friend as he crossed to the motorcyle bay and knealt down next to Ace as she finished bolting the gas tank back on.

"You figure it out, Princess?" he asked, his tone dripping with condescension.

Ace grabbed the oily rag from over the handlebars and stood up, wiping the grease from her fingers.

"Yup." she replied, standing her ground and looking around Merle to Johnnie. "This your bike?"

Johnnie merely nodded.

"Well, as pretty as your chrome cap is on your gas tank, I'm gonna recommend one with a lock. Someone siphoned you and swapped your fuel out with piss, man." she told him simply. "I flushed it out and replaced the rings. Just gotta fill her up and take her for a test to make sure she's running right."

Johnnies's face flushed beet red, while Merle struggled not to look impressed. Daryl watched carefully from his bay. If Merle didn't give the girl a job after this, he'd have something to say about it.

"I thought that might be the problem." Merle admitted reluctantly after a moment. "Just wanted to see if you'd pick it up. Good job, I suppose. You want work, you got it."

Ace glanced at Daryl over Merle's shoulder, and he shot her a congratulatory smile. He liked the girl. She didn't talk much and she knew her way around a bike. It had to count for something.

"Thanks." she said. "When you want me to start for real?"

"Right now." Merle replied. "You know cars?"

Ace shrugged.

"A little. Bikes are my strong point, but I know enough about cars." she told him. "Why?"

"Get over there and help Daryl out. That fuckin' thing's in here all the damn time, and we never know what the hell's wrong with it. Two sets of hands will get it sorted faster than one."

She nodded and made her way around him to where Daryl stood at the hood of the Camaro.

"C'mon, Johnnie." Merle beckoned his friend into the office. "I got a bottle in the back with our names on it."

Daryl watched his brother go before turning back to the car, where Ace was already bent over with a socket wrench. As he turned, he couldn't help but stare at her rear end. He was a straight, hot-blooded male, after all. He bit his lip when he noticed how her shorts rode up when she bent over the car, the curves of her ass on show.

"Found it!" she proclaimed, making him jump for the second time that morning. "Whoever changed the oil last didn't screw the sump plug back on properly. It's leakin'."

Daryl sighed.

"That'd explain why Jimmy said the whole fuckin' thing just seized up on him." he said, more to himself than to her as he bent down next to her. "C'mon, lets get some fuckin' oil in this thing so he can come get his piece of shit outta my garage."

Short first chapter, but I hope someone's diggin' it. I've got this posted in a couple of other places as well, and I'm really anxious to see how it does here. I'd love some reviews, especially those with any pointers/tips/constructive criticism. As a writer, I endeavour to do my absolute best on every project, and it always helps when people point out things I could improve on! Let me know what you guys think!


	2. Chapter 2

_I'd like to just take a quick moment to give everyone who has read and reviewed chapter one a quick shout-out!_ _So thank you __**kaseym, **__I really hope you stick around for more. Also a big, big thank you to __**Leyshla Gisel **__for pointing that out to me. I've taken the time to get onto that particular author and give her the gist of things, and I would never have even known if you hadn't told me! To __**Dhalia89, **__I know everything starts off a bit slow, but the pace does pick up in the next couple of chapters and we will be getting to know Ace a lot better very soon. And finally, __**scoobydoo0811, **__I'm really glad you're diggin' the OC! I wanted her to come across as having balls while still being feminine enough to register as a woman, if that makes any sense. Hope I'm succeeding!_

_Also, I'm posting this chapter a couple of days early because I already have up to chapter three posted on another site, and I want to get them all in line with eachother to keep me from confusing myself (I'm good at that). So, just to bring it all together, I'll be posting this one tonight, chapter three tomorrow and then chapter four on Thursday as promised. After that, I will be updating every Thursday (AEST), so Wednesday for any of my American readers._

_Also, seeing as I forgot to mention it in chapter one, __**I do not own Daryl or Merle Dixon, or any other characters you may recognise from AMC's The Walking Dead. The original characters and plotline are my own creation. Please respect that. Also, this fic is rated M for a reason.**_

* * *

Daryl just wanted to wind down at the end of a long day, but it never seemed to happen. Today, Merle and Johnnie had come out of the office already half drunk after Ace had left and Daryl was shutting up shop and bundled him into the truck, dragging him down to Sammy's Bar. It was crowded and noisy, and Daryl just wanted to gome home and watch bad TV until he fell asleep, but Merle was having none of it.

"Here ya go, baby brother. Drink up."

Daryl held back a sigh as Merle put another bottle in his hand. He took a swig and glanced around the bar. All of Merle's no good friends were there, as usual. He sometimes wondered if these assholes had homes, or if they just crashed in the alley behind the bar after it closed and then filed back in when it opened the next day.

"Merle, Johnnie tells me ya got some hot tail workin' down at the garage now!" one of the drunken fools yelled, red in the face from too much whiskey. "What's she doin', makin' lemonade for ya?"

Merle simply flipped his friend the bird and went back to his beer.

"Nah, man." Daryl piped up. "She's the new motorcycle mechanic, she knows her shit."

Laughter erupted around the table as the boys slapped Daryl on the back.

"Good joke, boy." one of them told him.

Daryl rolled his eyes in disgust and got up from the table.

"Where you goin', baby brother?" Merle slurred at him.

"Gotta take a piss." Daryl lied, slipping away to the bar where he pulled out a stool and sat down, chugging some more of his beer.

There was only one way he could get through an evening with Merle and his buddies. Drunk.

He heard the tinkling of the bell above the front door, and a whole lot of whooping and catcalling from Merle's table. He knew what that meant. It was now late enough that the pretty girls had started showing up.

He turned around and surveyed the group at the door. He recognised most of the faces. Susie Carmichael, the town bicycle. Lara James, the pretty blonde with a penchant for boys with bikes. Mandy Peters, the girl next door. And one more.

Ace stood at the door, talking with Mandy animatedly as they made their way to the bar. Daryl quickly turned away, hoping they wouldn't see him. He hated that he was so awkward with women. It made having a sex life difficult, and Merle was constantly riding his ass about it.

"What'll it be, ladies?" he heard Sammy, the bar's owner, ask them when they reached him.

"Can I get a Coors Light?" came Mandy's soft, lilting voice.

"Sure thing, honey." Sam told her. "And you?"

"Whiskey. Straight."

Ace's voice was stronger than her companion's, and he could easily pick it out in a crowd even after having only spent one day in her company.

"Comin' up." Sam said as he turned and walked away to get their drinks.

Daryl chanced a quick look behind him. He saw Mandy pointing out different people around the bar. He supposed she was giving Ace the rundown on the locals, though he couldn't be sure as the racket drowned her out. He watched as Ace tucked a long strand of raven hair behind her ears and expertly dodged an attempted ass groping. After a few moments, Sammy brought the girls their drinks and they made themselves comfortable at the bar.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, avoiding his new co-worker and her friend. With every drink he had, he felt the urge to get up and go talk to Ace but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He was fine with her at work. They were colleagues, and they talked cars and bikes. In here, she was just another girl who was out of his league.

After a while, she and Mandy moved down the bar a little to make room for a crowd of bikers, which made it easier for Daryl to watch them without being noticed. Ace hadn't changed from work. She wore the same clothes and bore the same grease stain on her cheek from earlier in the day. Her hair still hung loose around her waist and Daryl still couldn't help but stare at that ass whenever she turned aroud.

Sighing heavily, Daryl looked away.

"Come on, man. Stop being such a pussy." he told himself, muttering under his breath.

He grabbed his beer off the bar and downed the rest of it for that little bit of extra dutch courage before wiping his hands off on his jacket and pushing his stool back from the bar. He pushed through two overweight bikers, ignoring their protests, and made his way over to Ace and Mandy before he had the chance to lose his nerve.

"Ladies." he spoke quietly, coming up behind them.

Ace glanced behind her as Mandy spun around, startled.

"If it ain't Daryl Dixon!" the shorter girl exclaimed.

Daryl suppressed a smile. He and Mandy had gone to school together. She had been the only girl who had ever bothered to give him the time of day. At first, he hadn't been interested, but she persisted. She talked to him every day and sat next to him in classes they shared. She brought him cookies that her mother had made and continued bugging him until he started to open up to her. She was pretty enough, with her thick red hair, big green eyes and comely figure, but Daryl had never looked at her in that way. She was too nice and too innocent for the likes of him. And she was too short. Daryl liked his girls tall, long-legged, shapely and dark.

"Hey Daryl." Ace greeted with a smirk. "Still hangin' a little to the left?"

Daryl blushed and brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Uh... Sorry about that. Forgot you was there." he explained.

Ace smiled and shrugged, giving nothing away.

"Don't sweat it." she told him. "I grew up with four brothers. I know how it is."

He nodded and looked over his shoulder, signalling Sam for another beer.

"You two know eachother?" Mandy asked, looking between them.

"Yeah." Ace confirmed. "I got a job at his brother's garage. I showed him up fixing a Camaro today."

Daryl frowned.

"Showed me up, huh?" he asked, taking note of her smirk.

"Yup." she confirmed, her dark eyes challenging him.

He stared into them, not backing down. Dark brown bore into baby blue until Mandy spoke again.

"Daryl was a good friend in high school." she explained to Ace. "He's a good boy at heart."

She ruffled Daryl's hair jokingly. He pulled away and shot her a look.

"Damn girl, don't let any of these assholes hear you say that. Least not my brother."

Mandy stopped laughing and pulled a disgusted face.

"Ah yes. Where is Merle?" she asked, distaste evident in her voice.

"In there somwhere." Daryl replied, indicating the throng of loud, drunken losers on the other side of the bar.

"Hey Mandy, I'm gonna go outside for a smoke." Ace said suddenly, laying her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Alright." the redhead agreed. "I gotta visit the little girls' room anyway."

Ace and Daryl watched as Mandy moved away. When she disappeared into the crowd completely, Daryl found Ace's brown eyes on him once again.

"You comin'?" she asked.

He nodded as she turned towards the door, asserting herself and pushing through the endless crowd. Daryl nodded to those he recognised and tried to avoid his brother's gaze, but to no avail. Merle spotted him through the bodies, saw Ace leading him to the door and gave a whoop, drawing the attention of all his buddies. Daryl recieved several slaps on the back and encouraging thumbs up as the men catcalled at Ace. She ignored them expertly as she reached the door, pushing it open and stepping out into the cool Georgia air.

It was dark out now, and there was a nice breeze blowing through town that caught Ace's long hair, whipping it away from her face as she pulled a crushed packet of Marlboro Reds from the back pocket of her Daisy Dukes. She drew out two cigarettes, placing one between her lips and offering the other to Daryl, who shook his head.

"I got my own." he pointed out as he pulled out his own pack.

"And I'm offerin' you one of mine." she told him.

Reluctantly, Daryl put his smokes back in his pocket and accepted the one she held out to him, placing it in his mouth and watching her as she turned away from the wind to light up, cupping her hand around her cigarette as she did so. She succeeded in getting her smoke lit and turned back to Daryl, tossing him her lighter as she exhaled the first drag through her nostrils, watching as the smoke floated away in lazy rings.

"Nice night." Daryl commented, his lit cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Yeah." Ace agreed, stopping at that.

"You ain't the talkative type, huh?" he asked her, slightly amused.

She shrugged.

"What's the point of talkin' if you got nothin' to say?" she wondered aloud.

Daryl nodded and silence fell between the pair as they gazed out into the night.

"So what brings a girl like you to a town like this?" he asked finally, trying to get a conversation out of her that wasn't about cars or bikes.

She shrugged again. She seemed to do so a lot.

"Nothin' left in Atlanta." she explained simply. "Anyway, what you mean 'a girl like me'?"

It was Daryl's turn to shrug.

"You just... You don't seem the type to be workin' on bikes for a livin'." he admitted. "Figured you had yourself a college education. Nice family back in the 'burbs. Y'know, better options. What you doin' out here in the middle of Hicktown USA?"

She merely stared at him thoughtfully as she drew on her cigarette.

"I never liked the city." she admitted finally. "I was born in a little town just outside of Dallas. Moved up to Atlanta when my daddy split. I must've been about fourteen. Before we moved I used to go huntin' and fix bikes with my dad and it was normal. In the city I was the freak with the Harley and the collection of knives."

Daryl nodded, surprised to hear that her father had left, but giving nothing away.

"How'd your mama feel about you movin' away?" he asked her.

Ace gave yet another shrug.

"Dunno. Doubt she's even put down a bottle long enough to notice I'm gone, to be honest."

They were quiet for a moment, Daryl wondering why she was choosing to open up to him about all this. As if reading his thoughts, Ace spoke.

"Listen, don't be thinkin' I'm lookin' for sympathy." she told him. "You asked me a question and I answered it. I'm nothin' if not honest."

Daryl nodded.

"So I'm guessin' I was way off the mark thinkin' you'd been to college then?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"Never even finished high school."

"What about your brothers? Where're they at? If I had a sister who looked like you, there ain't no way I'd be lettin' her live in a town like this all on her own."

She laughed.

"Why? What do I look like?" she asked, teasing him a little bit.

Daryl blushed, suddenly thankful it was so dark outside.

"Oh... y'know... you... You're a pretty girl." he finished, somewhat lamely.

Ace laughed.

"Well thanks, I guess." she told him. "Nah, my brothers know I can look out for myself. That's why they did the smart thing. Lit out as soon as they could. Mark's up in New York workin' at a tattoo shop, tryin' to get enough saved up so he can move back down south and open his own. Jeremy joined the army. Charlie moved back to Texas and got married. Mitch's in jail and he still says it's better than livin' with mom. Only one left at home is my little sister. Alisha. She'll be sixteen this comin' spring."

"Mark." Daryl said slowly. "Jeremy. Charlie. Mitch. Alisha. All fairly normal names. How'd you get stuck with Ace?"

She laughed.

"I get that a lot. Full name's Lacey." she explained. "I can't even remember where 'Ace' came from, but it stuck. I ain't been called anything else since before high school. For my eighteenth birthday, my brothers threw me a little somethin', and the cake they got..."

She trailed off laughing.

"I'd just started workin' my first garage, so they got it made in the shape of a wrench." she continued. "And it said 'Happy 18th Lacey'. I was so confused at first, took me a few minutes to remember that was my name. I didn't hear it that often, so I guess I just... forgot."

"How old are you?" Daryl asked, realising he had no idea.

"Twenty-six. You?"

"I'll be thirty in September."

Ace laughed.

"You're gettin' on, boy." she joked. "Soon you'll be too old to work on the cars. Then what?"

Daryl laughed in spite of himself. Now that Ace had opened up a little, he was taking more and more of a liking to her.

The moment seemed to leave a spark in the air that both of them felt, for the laughter ceased suddenly. Neither of them had realised that their cigarettes had been long finished, and they had simply been standing in the dark, enjoying eachother's company.

"I guess we should go back inside." Ace said finally, sounding like it was the last thing she wanted to do. "We been gone so long, Mandy's probably thinkin' I let you take me home."

Daryl gave an uneasy laugh as her words conjured images in his mind that almost made him need to catch his breath.

"Yeah." he agreed reluctantly. "Can't have that, can we?"

Ace chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, Daryl, you're a good lookin' guy, but I can't be developin' any kinda reputation my first week here." she joked as she headed for the door and pulled it open, holding it for him.

Daryl walked over and took the door from her hands, stepping back slightly.

"Hey, I got manners." he told her. "Man holds the door open for the lady."

She gave that sweet laugh.

"Never said I was a lady." she replied, stepping past him into the crowded bar nonetheless.

By the time he had followed suit and allowed the door to swing shut behind him, she was long gone. Scanning around, he found her seated back up at the bar with Mandy, apologising profusely for having been gone so long. He thought for a second about joining them, but his attention was claimed by his loudmouth brother.

"Get your ass over here, boy!" Merle called through the crowd.

His cheeks were red and he was quite obviously shitface wasted.

"What you doin' out there so long with that pretty little thing?" he asked his little brother loudly. "Out in the alley slippin' a digit, was you? C'mon boy, that's high school stuff!"

Daryl frowned and shook his head.

"Wasn't like that." he insisted. "We was just talkin'."

They boys all burst out laughing.

"Daryl Dixon strikes out again!" Johnnie cried, slapping Daryl on the back hard. "Better luck next time, boy."

Daryl simply sat in silence, fuming. He hated that they treated him this way. Daryl Dixon was certainly no virgin. He just had something that was completely foreign to these creeps. Respect for women. He didn't see every pretty girl in town as a conquest. In fact, he saw most of them as completely out of his league. Still though, he did just fine with the women when he wanted to.

He glanced over at the bar and saw that Ace and Mandy had been joined by a couple of the other girls, all of them clutching light beers or fruity cocktails and Ace clutching her whiskey. He'd never met many girls who could handle hard liquor, but Ace was on her fifth glass and still doing okay._Girl must have a hollow leg or somethin'_, he figured.

His attention was drawn back to the table as Sammy brought them another round and a beer was pushed in front of his face. With a resigned sigh, he picked it up and put it to his lips. _What the hell_, he thought. _If you can't beat 'em..._


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello again! Huge thanks once more to all my wonderful readers and reviewers! __**Okgurl87, **__I'll be sure to do my absolute best with everything! And to __**kaseym,**__ I'm really glad you think so! That's what I'm going for after all! __**Leyshla Gisel, **__I can already tell you're going to be a dedicated reviewer, and that makes you one of my favourite people in the world! And last of all, to __**scoobydoo0811,**__ I'm so happy you're getting into it, and I really hope you like the direction in which I'm taking things._

_I'm really not sure how people will like this chapter, as it's kind of just... I dunno, I'm just not sure it will be everyone's cup of tea. It takes place after a time jump of one week after chapter two, and I know a lot of people don't like when authors do that, but it kind of felt necessary when I was writing it so I hope y'all can forgive me!_

_So now that this is posted, it's officially in line with how far I'm up to with it on my other sites. Chapter four will be out tomorrow, then I'll be back to updating every Thursday (Wednesday in the USA)._

**_ I do not own Daryl or Merle Dixon, or any other characters you may recognise from AMC's The Walking Dead. The original characters and plotline are my own creation. Please respect that. Also, this fic is rated M for a reason._**

* * *

**_One Week Later._**

Ace groaned and rolled over in bed, cracking one brown eye open. Glancing down at the floor, she saw Mandy asleep on her stomach, snoring away. The girls had both gone to sleep in the same bed, so Ace had no idea when or how Mandy had migrated to the floor, but as long as the girl was comfortable, Ace didn't really care.

Smiling to herself, she swung her legs off the edge of her bed and stepped over her sleeping friend, leaving her bedroom and walking down the hallway of her dark, ramshackle house and into the kitchen, where she flicked the jug on and waited for the water to boil for her morning coffee.

Ace felt great. At twenty-six, she was lucky enough to have never experienced a hangover in her entire drinking life. She had been all kinds of drunk. She had passed out on the side of a busy Atlanta street once. Another time, she had woken after a weekend-long bender to find herself in some unknown town two states over with no idea how she had gotten there and not a cent in her pocket to get home. All that, yet not one hangover to her name, for which she was eternally thankful.

She heard the jug click, indicating that the water was boiled, so she set about making herself a strong cup of black coffee. Glancing down at herself, she realised she was still in the same clothes from yesterday and she stank of grease and sweat. Wrinkling her nose, she downed the rest of her coffee in one and headed down the dingy hallway to her tiny bathroom.

She'd been living here a little over a week now, and this room had been nothing but trouble. The light refused to work, no matter how many times she changed the bulb; the water pressure in the shower was miserable; the hot water never lasted more than a couple of minutes; and she was pretty sure there was a family of racoons living in the roof. As she stripped off her clothes and got the shower running, she made a mental note to climb up into the roof later that afternoon to see if she could find the animals and get rid of them.

After giving her body a quick scrub, she jumped out of the shower, wrapping her body in a threadbare towel as she stood before the mirror brushing her teeth. Glancing around, she spotted her basket of clean clothes she hadn't yet gotten around to putting away lying on the floor behind her. Bending over, she rummaged through the contents, finally resurfacing with a bra, a ripped black wifebeater and a new pair of Daisy Dukes.

She slipped her clothes on and left the bathroom, towel still hanging around her neck as she re-entered her bedroom and nudged the still sleeping Mandy with her foot.

"You alive?" she asked, half joking.

Last night, the two of them had once again wound up at Sammy's Bar and Mandy, who usually stuck to light beers, had decided that Ace's whiskey held more appeal. She had drank almost half her own body weight and had spent the better half of the night bringing it back up in the alley behind the bar with Ace holding her hair back and Daryl standing back laughing at her.

Daryl. The thought of him brought a smile to Ace's face. The two had become close during her first week working at the garage. He was a good guy. Hell, she was even coming around to the fact that his brother wasn't so bad when you got him alone. Either that, or she was slowly earning his respect with all her good work and constant backchatting. Daryl _had_ said that standing up to Merle would be the way to win him over, and god knew she'd done plenty of that this past week.

Ace breathed a sigh of relief when Mandy gave a muffled groan, holding a thumbs up over her head to let her friend know that she was, in fact, still breathing. Satisfied with that, Ace stepped away and grabbed her bag from the edge of her bed. Merle always closed the garage on Sundays, so it was her first official day off, and she had no idea what she was going to do with herself. This was a small town, so her options were limited. All she knew was that, in her current state, Mandy would be no fun.

"I'm gonna head off." she said, a little louder than she needed to. She had always loved to tease people with hangovers, and was frankly surprised that karma hadn't shown up to bite her in the ass yet. "You know the drill. Sleep it off as long as you need, help yourself to food, don't get vomit all over my house and lock the door behind you when you leave. Key's on the table."

Mandy gave another groan and feebly flipped her friend the bird as she left the room, grinning to herself. As she closed the front door behind her a few moments later, she was still clueless as to where she was actually going. Figuring that she had nothing else to do, she threw a leg over her beloved Harley, started it up and screamed off in the direction of the garage anyway.

It was only a five minute trip when you were doing the speed limit, and Ace was doing a few miles over, so it wasn't long at all before she found herself pulling up in the driveway. It was odd to see the big metal roller doors that led into the garage pulled down, she noted as she got off her bike and headed instead in the direction of the rundown house the Dixon brothers shared.

"Daryl!" she called out at the top of her voice when she reached the door. "Merle! Get your asses up and entertain me!"

With only flyscreen between her and the interior of the house, she saw as a pissed-off looking Merle poked his head from a room about halfway up the hall.

"The hell you doin' here?" he demanded as he made his way down to the front door, flicking the latch and pushing it open so she could step inside. "Jesus, I give you the day off and still can't get rid of ya."

Ace grinned and poked her tongue out at him childishly.

"You know you can't get enough of me." she teased him as she kicked the door shut behind her. "Where's baby brother?"

Merle shrugged.

"The fuck should I know?" he grumbled, clearly not a morning person. "Sleepin', if he's lucky."

Ace laughed.

"He ain't." she assured him. "Just point the way and I'll see to it."

Merle pointed lazily up the hallway to a closed door with a length of police tape across it while mumbling something under his breath that she couldn't quite hear. Disregarding him as he shuffled back into his room, she set off in the direction he had pointed. Without pause for thought about what she might find on the other side, she gently turned the handle just enough so that it wasn't latched into the frame before kicking the door open the rest of the way with an almighty _bang!_

"Jesus!" Daryl cried as he jumped almost a foot off his bed and landed in a half-sitting position.

She could see in his blue eyes that he was still a bit dazed and confused from just having been woken up, which made her chuckle. She watched as his vision cleared enough to see her standing by the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. He sighed, rubbing his eyes as he shook his head.

"So you woke up this morning and thought _'well shit, how can I make Daryl's life hell today?'_. Well, congratulations. You're a bitch, and I'm about seventy two per cent certain I just pissed the bed." he said jokingly, keeling over onto his back once more.

She chuckled again as she surveyed his room. She'd never been in here before, but she liked the vibe. His 'bed', as he called it, was less of an actual bed and more of a bare mattress on the floor. He had a chipped and grease-stained chest of drawers that she guessed must have been empty, because his clothes littered the floor. His walls were bare except for a giant poster of a Harley above the mattress and a series of photos of him and his brother stuck to the back of his door. Other than that, the room was empty. She liked the simplicity.

She took a few steps and then launched herself through the air, coming to land on her stomach on the mattress beside him. He jumped again and glanced over her, one eye still closed as the ghost of a smirk crossed his face.

He finally opened both eyes and rolled onto his side, resting his head in his hand.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, curious as to why she was so determined to get him out of bed at this hour when he should've been sleeping off the previous evening's alcohol.

She shrugged.

"Why not?" she asked. "It's my first day off and I have no fuckin' idea what the hell there is to do in this town. Entertain me, Daryl."

He smirked at the mock whine in her tone.

"Well, you're gonna have to give me a couple hours." he said. "I need more sleep."

She frowned as he lay his head back down, pulling a ratty old blanket up to his chest.

"Uh-uh." she breathed, grabbing the blanket and whipping it out of his hands.

He groaned as he rolled onto his face, gripping his pillow, which she also grabbed out from under him, throwing the items across the room to land in a messy heap by the door. He propped himself up on his elbow once more and shot her a look.

"I don't need that shit to sleep anyway." he said as he began to put his head back down.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ace cried, poking him hard in the shoulder. "C'mon, Daryl. Up, before I start removing your clothes. Hell, I'll pull this mattress out from under you if that's what'll do it."

Without saying anything, he rolled over with his eyes still shut and grabbed her in a bear hug, pinning her arms to her sides. She squirmed and fought half-heartedly, laughing in spite of herself. He settled his head onto her shoulder.

"Take my pillow, will ya?" he asked, teasing her. "That's fine. You'll do."

She giggled almost uncontrollably as she wriggled from side to side, trying without real conviction to get free. As she pulled against his arms, he suddenly relaxed his grip, smiling with satisfaction at the yelp she gave out as the force with which she had been struggling propelled her off the mattress and onto the floor.

She sat up, scowling at him as he howled with laughter, his blue eyes twinkling. As he sat up completely, she got her first proper look at him that morning. His sandy hair was a dishevelled mess, and his chest was bare, giving her a view of the various tattoos that littered his body. On his legs, he wore simple grey cotton boxer shorts. She suddenly found her mouth dry.

She'd been struggling with this for the past week. Since her second day working at the garage, in fact. She fought a smile as the memory danced in her mind.

_Merle had gone into town for something for his motorcycle. Break pads or a new tailpipe, she honestly couldn't remember. It was about midday and hot as hell in the garage. The sweat was rolling off her as she worked to fit a custom exhaust to Roy Olsen's Triumph. There was a grease stain on her left cheek, another on her exposed stomach and one more across her chest. She wiped her hands on a rag before dabbing it against her forehead, sure that there would now be a grease stain there as well._

She had removed her shirt long ago and had been walking around in just her bra and her Daisy Dukes for the better part of an hour, although if it got any hotter, those would be the next to go. Merle wouldn't be back for a while, Mikey hadn't shown up today, and she had no idea where Daryl was. She was alone, so she had absolutely no aversion to working naked if she had to. She'd done it before.

Sighing with exhaustion, she sat back down beside the bike and tried to get back into it, but it was just too hot. Admitting defeat, she reached around her back and unclipped her bra, allowing herself to fall backwards, her bare back coming into contact with the cold concrete of the garage floor. The feeling was brilliant after having spent all day sweating.

"You okay?"

She jerked upright as she heard the voice call out. Her bra almost slipped forward off her arms, but she caught it just in time as the owner of the voice that had called out came round the corner.

"Jesus, Daryl!" she cried, frowning. "You scared the shit outta me!"

He smirked as he took in her appearance. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun atop her head, the few strands that had escaped at the back slicked to her neck with sweat. She was covered in grease and had been lying on the ground topless, her bra hanging loose from her shoulders.

"You should know it ain't safe to be walking around here with all that hangin' out." he remarked, doing the gentlemanly thing and looking away as she reached behind her and clipped her bra back together.

"Easy for you to say." she scoffed. "You get hot, you take your shirt off and there ain't no more said about it. Why should I be made to suffer in my own sweat?"

"Because." he said, crossing the floor and extending a hand to help her up. "Some of the guys who come in here might try to take advantage. Including Merle."

She snorted.

"I'd like to see 'em try." she said, her eyes glinting challengingly. "What're you doin' here, anyway? I ain't seen you all day."

He shrugged.

"Been around." he said evasively, rubbing the back of his neck as he averted his eyes.

At his vague reply, her own eyes narrowed.

"You've been watching me, haven't you?" she questioned accusingly.

"No." he replied a little too quickly, his cheeks going red.

Ace noticed his discomfort and decided that, rather than getting angry, it might be more fun to torture him. She took a step closer to him and he took one back. She took another step. So did he. She continued leading the dance until she had him backed up against the hood of the dusty old Ford waiting in bay number two. He glanced up at her, wondering where this was going, the look on his face uncertain. She gave him a wolfish smile as she took yet another step forward. He pushed himself back so that he was half sitting on the hood but, with nowhere else to go, was forced to watch as she took one more step, straddling his legs as she leaned her torso forward, pressing her chest into his.

His breath caught in his throat.

"If you're gonna slap me, just hurry up already." he choked out, earning a quiet chuckle from her.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled herself up so that her feet left the ground, her knees finding purchase on the hood either side of his thighs. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think about which of her body parts were pressing up against certain sensitive parts of him.

She leaned forward once again, and he couldn't help but glance down as her breasts threatened to spill out of the simple bra containing them as they grazed against his chest. He felt her warm breath on his neck as she leaned into his ear.

"Like what you see?" she asked, her voice low and seductive.

Daryl swallowed a lump in his throat, scared to answer, unsure if it was a trick question. He felt her teeth nip at his earlobe, sending a shiver down his spine, followed by her lips pressing gentle kisses down his jawline until she reached his lips. She pulled back, looking at him through hooded eyes.

"Well?" she pressed, waiting for his answer.

Unable to speak, he nodded and she began leaning in once more, her lips making a beeline for his. He suppressed a groan and closed his eyes, waiting. It was a surprise then, when he felt her weight shift and then disappear altogether, followed by the unmistakable sound of boots on cement. He slowly opened his eyes to find her standing before him, a grin almost splitting her face in two.

"What the hell?" he asked, his throat dry.

She laughed.

"I don't like to be watched." she told him. "You wanna see me naked? Ask next time."

And that was all she said as she turned and walked away, back over to the bike bay. He stood up, his pants considerably tighter than they had been before, and made to follow her, but the sound of Merle's bike pulling up outside halted him in his tracks. Within minutes, his brother walked around the corner, box full of parts in his arms.

"Daryl." he barked at his brother immediately. "Toby's Ford there needs it's spark plugs changin'. Get on it."

Daryl shook his head, trying to get rid of the images of what had transpired on the hood of Toby's Ford just moments before, but to no avail.

"Yeah, just gimme a sec." he replied eventually, turning towards the doors. "Gotta go inside and take care of somethin'."

Over by Roy's Triumph, Ace smirked, knowing exactly what he was going inside to take care of. Did she feel like a bitch? Yeah. Did she care? Not really. No one had ever accused Ace Hatlin of being the nicest person in the world, and no one was ever likely to. Besides, it had felt nice to be that close to a man again. It had certainly been a while.

The rest of the afternoon, after he got done changing the Ford's spark plugs, Daryl sat back on a stool, sulking, drinking several bottles of beer and shooting frustrated glances at Ace. Roy had come to pick up his bike, and she now had Merle's in the bay and was fitting the new brake pads for him. She had put her shirt back on earlier, just before the older Dixon had made his entrance, and she was still dripping with sweat.

Once Merle's bike was finished, she stood up and crossed to the small fridge at the back, frowning at the inside of it.

"Hey Merle!" she called out. "There's no beer in here!"

"There's another case in the house!" his voice came back out of the office. "Help yourself, Girlie."

She rolled her eyes. Still with the nicknames. Oh well. Better than Princess.

Closing the fridge, she left the garage and started for the house, taking the front steps two at a time and flinging the door open. She took a left immediately and found herself in the kitchen. Opening the big fridge, she spotted the case of Bud on the bottom shelf and bent down to retrieve one. Closing the door again, she almost jumped when she found Daryl standing behind it.

"Do you ever announce yourself?" she asked, annoyed, her heart racing from the fright he had given her.

He didn't respond. Instead, he took a step forward and grabbed her hips, pressing her back against the fridge door. She didn't have time to react before he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, seemingly sucking the breath from her body with his intensity.

After the initial shock subsided, she began to return the kiss, sweeping her tongue across his bottom lip. He parted them at her touch and snaked his own into her mouth, wrestling with hers for dominance. They fell into a steady rhythm, their breathing laboured as her hands ran up his back and came to rest on the back of his neck, pulling him in closer. He squeezed her hips, pressing his pelvis against hers so she could feel what she was doing to him. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, and he wouldn't be if it weren't for the beers he had downed earlier.

Finally, he broke the kiss and removed his hands from her hips, leaving her breathless against the fridge, her brow even sweatier than it had been to begin with. He took a step back and surveyed her with a smirk.

"What was-?"

"Now you know what it feels like." he told her, his smirk growing. "Cocktease."

And with that, he turned on his heel and left. Ace heard the door bang shut behind him and smiled, bringing a hand up to touch her lips, where his kiss still burned. She chuckled to herself and shook her head, popping the top off her beer and beginning to follow him.

She hadn't known it at the time, but that kiss would continue to drive her crazy for the rest of the week. It took her a few days to cotton on to her own way of thinking but, when she finally did, the realisation hit her hard.

She wanted him. Bad.

"Earth to Ace! You in there?"

Ace started and shook her head, trying to clear it. Daryl was waving his hand in front of her face, a concerned look on his own.

"Yeah." she answered after a moment. "I'm fine."

Daryl chuckled at her.

"What the hell was you thinkin' about made you space out for so long?" he asked.

She smirked and glanced over at him from where she still sat on the floor.

"You really wanna know?" she asked, her smirk turning into a grin.

He nodded.

"That day last week... In the garage."

Daryl's face filled with colour at the mere mention of it. He had only just woken up and was still sober, so the thought embarrassed him. He still couldn't believe what he'd done. Still, he tried his best to remain stoic.

"Yeah? What about it?" he asked offhandedly.

She shrugged.

"We still haven't talked about it, y'know." she pointed out.

"Ain't nothin' to talk about." Daryl told her uncomfortably. "Was teachin' you a lesson. It ain't nice to get a man all revved up then walk away."

Ace flipped her body over and pushed herself up on her knees, crawling towards the bed.

"So this time I won't walk away." she promised, her voice turning low and seductive once more.

Daryl glanced away, his hand immediately going to the back of his neck. It was a nervous habit he had that Ace had noticed on more than one occassion. She found it ridiculously endearing.

"Ace..." he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

He wanted her. Dear God, how he wanted her. He'd wanted her since the day she walked into the garage. So why was he even attempting to put up a fight?

The mattress dipped as she climbed back onto it, still crawling slowly towards him. As she drew closer, she pushed him onto his back and threw her leg over him like she would her motorcycle. She felt his hand find her flesh, resting on the soft skin just below her backside. She leaned down, rubbing her chest up against his, feeling his grip on her tighten at the sudden contact.

"Ace, stop." he choked out, hating himself as he let his insecurities win out over his almost suffocating desire.

She immediately did as he said, confused. She didn't climb off, merely sat up straight on top of him and stared down at him, her gaze questioning.

He sighed.

"Look." he began. "I... I ain't the guy you wanna do this with. I can't give you nothin', I..."

He was cut off as she placed her hand over his mouth.

"Daryl, shut up." she said commandingly. "I ain't askin' you to prom. We're adults. I don't wanna walk around town holdin' your hand. I don't wanna get your name tattooed on me. And I sure as hell don't wanna marry you. I wanna have sex with you. That's it."

It was his turn now to stare up at her, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Ace scoffed.

"What?" she asked. "A woman can't need an outlet? Is it such a shock to you that I'd be lookin' for something casual rather than wanting to go steady? Is your ego that swollen?"

He frowned and shook his head.

"Nah, that's not what I... Look, I dunno if you noticed, but I ain't exactly the most confident guy in the world." he admitted. "Been livin' in Merle's shadow my whole life, then along comes a beautiful woman who throws herself at me twice and I'm too much of a pussy to do somethin' about it until I'm a few beers deep."

He fell silent and Ace frowned at him.

"Why so insecure?" she asked after a moment. "Is it so hard to believe I'd be interested?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, unsure why he was telling her all this, but sure he was going to regret it later. "Ace, I ain't never had no steady girlfriend, alright? Hell, I ain't even had sex while sober. You just... you gotta be patient with me, okay? Or at least get me drinkin' before you try to jump me."

Ace chuckled, still sitting in the same place astride him.

"You're a strange one, Daryl Dixon." she told him, running her hands gently up his stomach. "But if a few beers is what you need to do this, then fine."

Daryl smirked and cocked an eyebrow.

"So the whole 'be patient' option is out?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Dunno if you noticed, but I ain't a patient woman." she replied, finally beginning to climb off him.

"No, don't." he said quickly, grabbing her hips and holding her in place. "Stay there. It's... nice."

She smiled down at him as he blushed, feeling for all the word like she was sixteen again with the virginal Donny Gates underneath her. Boy had that been a wild night. She wondered if he had been hurt when she never called.

"Jesus, Dixon, make up your mind. Can't have it both ways." she said with a wicked grin, grinding her hips against his, feeling his erection press into her as he tried and failed to stifle the small groan that fell from his lips. "Well? What's it gonna be?"

Daryl opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Merle making his mind up for him.

"Daryl!" the pair both jumped as Merle banged on the door. "Get your lazy ass up and put some clothes on! We goin' huntin'!"

Daryl looked up at Ace, grimacing regretfully.

"Sorry." he said, averting his eyes.

"It's fine." she said with a sigh as she got off him, standing up and grabbing her bag. "I should probably head home and see if Mandy's still alive. She was pretty hungover when I left."

Daryl laughed at the memory of the redhead and whole bottle of whiskey from the night before as he too stood up and gathered his clothes, slipping into a torn pair of jeans and pulling on a sleeveless plaid shirt. When he opened the door, Merle was standing there to greet them, and he didn't miss Ace's tousled hair or the slight bulge remaining in Daryl's jeans.

His weatherbeaten face split into a grin.

"Well, well, well now." he said, his eyes going from Ace to Daryl and then back again. "Didn't know I was interrupting somethin'."

"You weren't." Daryl assured his brother as he pushed past him.

Merle kept his gaze on Ace, still grinning like an idiot. Ace didn't let it phase her, and eventually, Merle gave up.

"Why we huntin'?" Daryl asked, rejoining Ace and his brother in hall outside his bedroom door, a heavy-looking crossbow now slung over his shoulder.

"Havin' a cookout tonight." Merle explained, his eyes finally leaving Ace. "The boys comin' round, we gonna have a few beers, shoot the shit, play some poker."

He paused, looking over at his motorcycle mechanic.

"You in?" he asked her.

She glanced up at him, taken aback.

"Me?" she asked. "I believe you said 'the boys'. Last time I checked, I didn't fit the requirements."

Merle laughed and slung an arm round her shoulder.

"Shit, girl." he said cheerfully. "The guys all know you now, and you're one hell of a mechanic. Besides, it's nice havin' some ladies around, gives us somethin' to look at. Come on along around six. Bring some friends."

Ace couldn't help but smile.

"Okay Merle, you twisted my arm." she conceded. "I'll be there. But now I gotta go, make sure there's no dead body lying in my house."

The Dixon brothers walked her to the door and waved her off as she jumped onto her bike and sped away. She couldn't pretend she wasn't a little shocked at Merle's invitation. She guessed she _had_ been making a good impression after all. Besides, this could be the perfect opportunity to pour those few beers down Daryl's throat...


	4. Chapter 4

_HAPPY THURSDAY! I always like to begin by thanking those who took the time to let me know what they thought, so here goes. __**Leyshla Gisel, **__I absolutely loved writing that scene. I thought it worked a lot better as a flashback, which was why I decided to set the chapter after a bit of a time-jump. Hope you enjoy the Dixon's party as much as Ace does! __**Kaseym, **__yes, he is. That's what older siblings are for. Haha! Glad you're getting into Ace, she's got a lot more development to come. And of course, __**scoobydoo0811. **__Insecure Daryl is always adorable! That's why I chose to keep him that way! He certainly is fun to write._

_Anyway, here is chapter four for your viewing pleasure! Hope you guys dig it! I know I had a blast writing it!_

_Chapter five will be out next Thursday (AEST)._

_**I do not own Daryl or Merle Dixon, or any other characters you may recognise from AMC's The Walking Dead. The original characters and plotline are my own creation. Please respect that. Also, this fic is rated M for a reason.**_

* * *

When Ace pulled up outside her house, Mandy's Chevy was gone and had been replaced by an unfamiliar Dodge Ram.

Frowning to herself, she pulled up alongside it and turned her ignition off. She didn't recognise the car, although it bore Georgia plates. Slowly, she looked over at the house, guessing that the owner must be inside.

Turning back to her bike, she dug into one of the saddle bags, pulling out her Magnum .357 and tucking it down the back of her shorts. Couldn't be too careful. The gun had belonged to her father a long time ago. They day that she had come home from school to find him gone had also been the day she had walked into her room to find the gun sitting on her bed with a note that said _keep it close._ Although she had done just that ever since, this was the first time she had ever had need of it.

She slowly made her way across the dry, brown lawn and up onto the front porch. She tried the handle. The house was still unlocked. She opened the door as quietly as she could and stepped inside, drawing the gun back out from it's hiding place, holding it out in front of her, flicking the safety off as she did so.

She heard noises coming from the kitchen and followed them. Rounding the corner into the room, she found her fridge door open. She cocked the gun, letting whoever it was know that now was the time to run for their lives. In return she heard a familiar voice.

"You need to stock your fridge, little sister."

And with that, the figure in her fridge stood up straight, shooting her the lopsided grin that she loved so much.

"Mitch!?" she cried, flicking the safety switch back on before tossing her gun aside onto the kitchen table and launching herself at her big brother, throwing her arms around his neck.

Mitch laughed and returned the embrace.

"Good to see you too, Ace." he said, squeezing her tight.

"Oh god, you idiot!" she exclaimed with a smile on her face as she pulled back to get a proper look at him. "I could've fucking killed you! Why didn't you call!? Let me know you were coming?"

Mitch kissed his little sister on the head and ruffled her hair.

"I tried, but I rang the only number I had only to be told my baby sister had moved out to East Bumfuck, Georgia." he told her. "Leesh gave me your new address, but said she didn't have a phone number."

"Well, when did you get out?" she wondered.

For the last three years, Mitch had been locked up in Atlanta after being caught red-handed at a break and enter. She had used to go and visit her big brother once a week until life had gotten in the way.

"A couple days ago." he told her, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "And since I'm thirty years old with no intention of going back to live with my mother, I was wondering if it would be cool for me to crash on your couch for a few weeks. Just until I get my shit together."

Ace rolled her eyes.

"Right, like you even need to ask." she said with a smile. "Of course you can. What are you lookin' at doing with yourself now, anyway?"

Mitch shrugged.

"God only knows." he said. "I got my GED in prison, so maybe I'll go to college."

His little sister scoffed.

"College? Our family? No offense, big brother, but you getting a degree would be a minor miracle."

Mitch laughed once again.

"Yeah, I know." he conceded. "Worth a shot, though. So tell me, what you got goin' on these days? What brought you out here?"

"What d'you think?" she asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of her tone.

"That bad, huh?" Mitch asked sympathetically.

"Worse." she confirmed. "She's not there anymore. Ever. She's just always drunk and screaming. I lit out the day after my birthday. She threw an empty bottle of Jameson at the back of my head. Bled like shit. I just... It was enough, ya know?"

Mitch frowned, sad to hear that Ace had gone through that.

"Don't you feel guilty for leaving Alisha to it?"

"Did you feel guilty for leaving me?" she shot back, eyebrow cocked.

Mitch sighed.

"Of course. I just... I hated it, whenever I wasn't around I just worried. And then I'd come home and find you bruised and bleeding and Leesh hungry and crying and I... I dunno, I guess it got too much. The guilt of coming home and seeing what had happened while I wasn't there to protect you. I just... I guess I figured... Whatever you don't know, right?"

Ace nodded.

"Right."

Silence fell between the siblings in which Mitch picked up the revolver Ace had thrown down on the table.

"This dad's?" he asked, flicking the safety on and off.

"Uh-huh." Ace confirmed, resting her chin in her hands, gazing at her older brother, still not quite believing he was here.

"You workin'?" he asked suddenly after a few minutes of absent-mindedly playing with the revolver.

"Yeah." she answered. "Dixons' Garage. I'm the motocycle mechanic. Shitty pay, but it's work."

"You finished for the day?"

She shook her head.

"We close on Sundays." she explained. "The boys have invited me for a cookout tonight. You feelin' up for some company or would you rather stay here an relax?"

Mitch shook his head.

"I been relaxin' on my own for three years. I feel like bein' with people again." he told her.

"Fair enough. Hey, when you arrived did you happen to see a pretty redhead?"

Mitch nodded.

"She was leavin' just as I showed up. I told her I was your brother so she left the place unlocked for me. Why? You think I broke in?"

Ace laughed.

"Wouldn't surprise me." she said. "Did she say where she was goin'?"

"Home." Mitch said simply.

"Good." Ace replied, getting up and grabbing the phone from it's cradle. "I gotta make a few calls."

Six o'clock on the dot and Mitch's truck was pulling up outside the Dixon residence. As her brother killed the engine, Ace jumped out of the front seat and opened up the back door for her friends. Mandy took the hand she was offered and jumped down, followed by Susie, Lara and Mandy's younger sister Olivia.

The five girls and Mitch made their way to the door, Ace banging on it with the flat of her hand.

"Hey Dixon!" she called out. "Open up, we got beer!"

She glanced back at her brother, who hoisted the case of Coronas up under his arm. Within a minute, Merle was at the front door, beer already in hand.

"Well, well." he said, opening the door for them. "How you doin', Girlie?"

He flung his arm around her shoulder again as she stepped into the house. He said a brief hello to the rest of the girls before his eyes found Mitch.

"You know, Darlin'." he began. "When I said 'bring friends', he wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

Ace gave Merle a playful shove.

"That's Mitch, my big brother. He's stayin' with me for a while." she told him as Merle lead them through the house and out onto the back porch where Johnnie, Jimmy, Roy, Toby and Daryl sat, beers in hand as they threw bits and pieces of wood onto an already roaring bonfire out in the back yard. On the grass beside the stairs leading onto the lawn was a dead deer which Ace guessed was to be tonight's main course.

"The ladies have arrived!" Merle announced to the group as the back door swung shut behind them.

The boys all glanced around.

"That one don't look like no lady." Daryl pointed out, staring at Mitch.

He was already half drunk and Ace could tell he was sizing the taller man up.

"That's Mitch." she said simply. "My brother."

Understanding washed over Daryl's face and he then joined in with the rest of the boys, greeting Mitch like an old friend. Ace smiled and accepted the beer Merle passed to her as she hoisted herself up to sit on the porch railing.

Before long, Merle and Daryl were dragging the deer carcass over to the fire to be cooked. The thing had already been skinned and gutted, so the brother's stuck the animal on a spit, supervising as it roasted slowly.

Ace took the opportunity to slide up to Daryl.

"I think you've had more than enough drinks to boost your confidence." she whispered. "Don't overdo it, you'll be no good to me then."

Daryl merely chuckled and gave a tipsy smile as he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in tight, taking another swig of his beer. Ace rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, making the most of the comfortable feeling she got from being this close to Daryl. There was no way he'd even be looking at her too much if he was sober.

During dinner, they ate noisily, the beer and the conversation flowing freely. Ace was happy to see Mandy and Mitch getting along.

_They'd make a good pair_, she thought as she drained her sixth (or was it seveth?) beer. She didn't know how many she was up to, but she was happily drunk. She didn't notice when her brother and her friend retreated inside, but she did sit up and pay attention when Merle pulled out a pack of playing cards.

"Strip poker's the game!" he proclaimed, his face red from far too many beers. "Y'all in?"

The men all readily agreed, anxious to get the girls' clothes off. The girls agreed only after Ace said she was in. And so they played. Before long, Merle was down to his boxer shorts, Daryl was shirtless, Johnnie had lost everything but his hat which he now used to cover his modesty, Jimmy and Roy had lost their jeans and Olivia, Susie and Lara were all sitting there in their bra and panties. The only ones who remained fully clothed were Toby, who, as a married man, had elected to sit the game out, and Ace, who had an excellent poker face.

She had just played a hand that had forced Daryl to hand over his jeans when the back door opened and her big brother poked his head out.

"Hey guys, you got any- what the fuck's been goin' on out here?"

Ace glanced up at her brother and smiled.

"It's strip poker." she slurred with a wink.

Mitch's face split into a grin.

"Oh, you idiots." he said, directing his insult to the men at the table. "Don't y'all know, you _never_ play poker with Ace! she saved up to buy her first motorcyle by hustlin' pool and countin' cards! Y'all've been played!"

Mitch then erupted into laughter while all the men at the table looked like they'd been slapped in the face.

"You... you what?" Merle asked Ace, his eyes narrowing.

Laughing too hard to reply, Ace simply nodded. They guys all exchanged glances and jumped out of their seats in unison. The girls squealed with excitement as they attempted to grab Ace, who rolled under them and escaped into the back yard. They all set off after her and soon tackled her to the ground. Mitch stood on the porch and watched with tears of drunken laughter streaming down his face as the men stripped his sister of her clothes and threw them all up onto the roof, leaving her in nothing but her underwear.

She lay on the ground in fits of laughter as Daryl extended a hand to help her up after having tossed her jeans onto the roof. She accepted his hand and pulled him down on top of her, the two of them rolling around in a drunken mess for a few moments until something changed and it became more heated, with Daryl's hands finding her breasts and her fingernails scratching up his sides. In a silent agreement, they both clumsily helped eachother up and stumbled inside, both completely aware and totally ready for what would happen next.

Ace barely felt it when her back hit the mattress, Daryl tumbling down on top of her moments later. His lips found hers almost immediately, and he captured them in a hungry kiss.

Ace parted her lips, allowing him entrance to her mouth as his hands roamed her body. He groaned as he gripped her ass, squeezing tightly. Without breaking the kiss, he pulled her up into a half-sitting position and reached around her to unclip her bra. The garment fell away almost instantly, revealing the most perfect breasts Daryl had ever seen. Cupping one of them, he noted that it was a perfect handful for him, topped off with rosy pink nipples that stood begging for his attention.

Finally detatching from her lips, he trailed kisses down her neck and chest before taking one of her perfect buds in his mouth, swirling his tounge around it and eliciting a few curse words and some soft mewling sounds from the woman beneath him. He then turned his attention to the other breast, getting the same reaction all over again.

She let out a groan of protest when his mouth left her nipples, but it was silenced almost immediately as he began to trail his lips further south. She felt him kissing, licking and biting his way down the valley between her breasts, her stomach and her hips. All that lay between him and her most intimate parts was a thin, sheer layer of black lace.

Pushing himself up onto his knees, he studied her face with cloudy eyes, looking for any indication that she wanted him to stop. When he found none, he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her thong, intending to ease it down her thighs when his animalistic desire got the better of him. He tore her underwear off, hearing a satisfying _snap_ as the elastic broke. He could feel the heat radiating from her as he bent his head running his tounge over her shaven mound before using his hands to spread her legs further.

When his tongue made contact with her clit, Ace gasped and writhed with pleasure. She heard him chuckle, and he did it again. This time she moaned loudly, arching her back into his touch. He dipped his head again, this time running his tongue up and down her dripping slit, pausing at her opening.

She propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at him, her vision half-clouded by lust. He spared her a glance, and she felt his thick, calloused fingers at her entrance, spreading her. He then surprised her by delving inside her, reaching with his tongue places that she hadn't even known existed. Her back arched again, involuntarily this time, as he plunged in and out of her with steady rhythm, his thumb rubbing fast, frantic circles on her clit at the same time.

When he finally resurfaced for air, she grabbed his shoulders, pulling him back up on top of her once more. He was still only in his boxers from the game of strip poker so, as he kissed her, she ran her hands down his back, grabbing the waist of his underwear and pushing them down as far as she could before running her hands back up over his ass, pulling him in closer, wanting to feel every inch of him against her.

As if reading her mind, Daryl reached down and pushed his boxers the rest of the way down to his ankles before kicking them off completely. He pressed back up against her, his erection rubbing against the place where she yearned to take him in, but she had other matters to attend to first.

Pushing him off her and onto his back, she got up onto her knees and straddled him like she had earlier that day. She kissed, licked and sucked her way down his body before coming to where she wanted to be, taking the sight in for the first time. It wasn't what she had expected. And she wasn't just thinking about the size, although that was certainly more than impressive. No, the first thing she had noticed was the sheer perfection. Where other men she had been with were hairy and gross and knotted with veins, he was smooth and soft.

Smiling to herself, she opened her mouth and took the tip between her lips.

"Ohhh!" she heard him groan from above her as she felt his hand come down on the back of her head.

She allowed him to push her down further, opening her mouth as wide as she could and taking as much of him as possible without gagging. Daryl let her continue until he thought he might explode before pulling her off him, her mouth making a soft _pop_ sound as she suddenly found it empty.

He lifted her easily and sat her on his stomach before flipping them over so that she was on her back and he was back on top and in control again. Kneeling between her thighs, he bent down and kissed her lips again with a passion he hadn't known existed in him.

"You're fucking beautiful." he whispered in her ear before sitting up on his knees again.

He grabbed her around the ankles and rested her feet on his shoulders before taking hold of her hips, lining himself up and thrusting forwards.

Ace almost screamed. She stuffed her fist in her mouth just in time to stop herself, but it was quickly removed by the man on top of her.

"I wanna hear you." he told her in the same low voice in which he had called her beautiful.

She nodded and he commenced thrusting once more, picking up speed as he did so. His fingernails dug into her hips so hard that they were leaving welts, but she couldn't feel it. All she could feel was Daryl inside her, moving with such finesse she almost didn't believe that this had been the nervous guy beneath her that very morning.

She removed her feet from his shoulders and wrapped them around his waist so that she could meet his thrusts with her own. Her hands found his shoulders and pulled him down on top of her, catching his lips in a kiss and muffling her repeated moans, their foreheads pressed together as their breathing became more and more laboured and uneven.

Ace felt the tight ball that had formed in her stomach the moment Daryl had touched her begin to unravel. She pulled him in tighter and dug her fingernails into his back.

"Daryl, I-" she cried.

"Me too, baby." he groaned back, cutting her off. "Come with me, loud as you can. I gotta hear you."

And so she did. Her toes curled and her fingernails dug so deep into his back that she was certain she had drawn blood. The scream she let out would've been enough to wake the dead, Daryl thought as he hit his own peak, groaning loudly as his seed spilled out into her, his movements now jerky and erratic.

As they both came down from their respective orgasms, Daryl collapsed on top of Ace, breathing heavily as he rolled off.

"That was-"

"Amazing." she cut him off, her breath coming in short, uneven bursts.

"Yeah." Daryl agreed, rolling onto his side and wrapping his arms around her waist, his blue eyes shut tight as he tried to return his breathing to an even pace.

Ace turned her head to look at him and, as though he sensed her watching, he opened his eyes and gave her that smirk she had grown so fond of. She smiled in return and leaned in, pressing her lips against his for one last kiss before they both fell into a much needed exhaustion, sex and alcohol induced sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_Yay, it's Thursday! Here, have an update! Nice long one this week! Before I jump into answering my reviews, I wanted to clear a few things up. Now, I've been trying to stay as faithful as possible to the idea that Daryl just has no game but, obviously, I've had to take some liberties. I'll let you all know now that there are three different Daryls as far as Ace is concerned: Sober Daryl, who is just awkward as all hell and has no idea when it comes to women; Drunk Daryl, who can be affectionate, playful and somewhat confident; and Work Daryl, who can talk to Ace no problem because they're in the workplace where they're colleagues and buddies and they can just generally be comfortable with one another because there's no expectations. We see a little of all three in this chapter, and I'd love to get some opinions on that!_

_Anyway, onto my wonderful reviewers! __**Scoobydoo0811, **__thank you for being such a loyal reader and leaving me some love every week! Means so much, and I'm doing my best to make each and every update great. __**Leyshla Gisel, **__you seriously are the best person in the world for all the love you give me! Glad you enjoyed the party, my dear! __**Ashvarden,**__ thanks for taking the time out to review, sweetheart! I love signing on and seeing first-time reviewers, lets me know my work is getting out there! I'm so happy you're enjoying Ace, she's such a joy to write! And, last but not least, another new reviewer, __**shadowhunter89! **__I hope I answered your questions well enough in my PM, and thanks so much for deciding to give me a chance, darling!_

_Now, end of ridiculously long author's note and onto the story!_

_**I do not own Daryl or Merle Dixon, or any other characters you may recognise from AMC's The Walking Dead. The original characters and plotline are my own creation. Please respect that. Also, this fic is rated M for a reason.**_

* * *

When Daryl's eyes fluttered open, the first thought that occured to him was that he was alone in his bed, but he could hear the sound of someone moving around in his room. He slowly rolled over, his head throbbing slightly with the beginnings of what ws sure to be a hangover of epic proportions.

He scanned his room, his eyes finding Ace pulling one of his sleeveless shirts over her head. He gave a lazy smile as he watched her.

"Never thought someone could look sexy in one of _my_shirts." he remarked casually, his voice raspy.

She jerked her head towards him and smiled at him.

"Bullshit." she replied. "_You_ look sexy in them."

He chuckled as he watched her walk towards him and sink down onto the bed beside him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into an all-encompassing embrace, his thumb caressing the back of her hand as he buried his face in her hair and planted a kiss on her head.

"So you're still drunk, huh?" she asked, knowing full well that he would be back to his old distant self if he weren't.

"A little." he admitted regretfully, wishing he could show her this kind of affection all of the time.

They lay in comfortable silence for a few moments, both of them savoring the time they had before Daryl sobered up. After a while though, Ace knew she needed to get up.

"Hey." she said gently. "I gotta go get my clothes off the roof somehow."

Daryl laughed.

"Sorry about that." he told her sincerely. "You want some help?"

She chuckled and shrugged as she kissed the back of his hand.

"No, it's fine." she assured him. "I'll make Merle help. He instigated it."

Daryl smiled and let go of her as she pulled herself up off the bed and left his room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"Hey, there she is!" he heard a voice he recognised instantly as Merle's. "Damn near screamed the house down last night, Girlie. My baby brother do you right?"

He chuckled as he heard Ace scoff.

"Shove it up your ass, Merle, I'm not givin' you details." she told him. "But you _can_ come out and help me get my clothes off the damn roof."

"Ladder's out back by the shed, sweetheart." his brother replied. "You know how to use it."

"Thanks, asshole." Ace told him.

She must have left the house then, because Daryl heard the back door slam behind her. A few minutes later, his bedroom door opened and he found Merle standing in the doorway, coffee in hand and a smirk on his face.

"Good job, baby brother." he said. "Didn't think you had the balls, but you proved me wrong."

"Screw off, Merle." Daryl said as he rolled over onto his stomach, making sure his blanket went with him to keep his modesty covered.

"Girl like that, she's gotta go off between the sheets." Merle mused, ignoring his younger brother completely. "Don't think I didn't hear the screamin'. You one lucky sumbitch, Daryl."

Merle's words made Daryl smile into his pillow. He could read the barely discernable jealousy in his brother's tone, and he knew that he had been waiting to get Ace into bed himself. It felt nice to have finally beaten Merle at his own game. He slowly rolled back over to face his brother.

"Hands off, Merle." he said warningly, giving his brother a stern glare.

"So it's like that, huh?" Merle asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"It ain't like anything." Daryl corrected his brother. "But I don't like sharin'. Least not with you."

"Hey, when have I ever stepped on your toes before, baby brother? You want her, she's yours."

Daryl had to admit that Merle was right. Once Daryl staked claim on a girl, Merle backed off. Though Daryl could never tell if that was out of respect or because Merle just didn't like the idea of his little brother's sloppy seconds.

"Got 'em!"

Merle stepped aside to reveal Ace standing behind him, her jeans and cut-off tank top clutched in her hands. Merle glanced back at Daryl and gave him half a smile.

"I'll leave you to it." he said, sending a nod Ace's way before retreating down the hallway.

She watched him go before stepping into Daryl's room and closing the door behind her. She dumped her clothes on the floor and began to unbutton Daryl's shirt so she could get dressed.

"Slower." the command came out of Daryl's mouth so suddenly in a voice much throatier than his own, he wasn't sure he'd actually said it at first.

Ace gave him her cheeky smile and obliged, slowly popping open the buttons and letting the shirt fall away from her shoulders bit by bit. When it finally fell in a heap at her feet, the tent in the blanket where Daryl was laying told her that his little soldier was standing at attention.

Slowly, she sauntered her way towards the bed, sinking down onto her knees beside it. Daryl reached out and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her in for a deep kiss.

She smiled into it and wrapped her arms around his shoudlers, revelling in the smell of woodsmoke, sweat and beer. He rolled onto his back abruptly, dragging her half on top of him and never breaking the contact between them.

Wrapping his muscular arms around her waist, he hoisted her on top of him completely, letting his hands roam up and down her back before coming to rest on her ass. He gave one cheek a light slap, causing her to jump and giggle.

"Mmm... That's nice." he admitted, finally breaking the kiss and gazing up at her through hazy, lust-filled blue eyes. "Been wantin' to do that since the first day I met you. You was bendin' over Jimmy's Camaro and I almost lost my fuckin' mind checkin' out that ass."

She laughed and rested her head against his chest, enjoying the comfortable silence that fell between them.

"Lay on your back." Daryl commanded suddenly.

She sat up slowly, gazing down at him with confusion. Nevertheless, she did as she was told, climbing off him and allowing her back to hit the mattress.

Daryl crawled over top of her almost immediately, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips before moving down her neck, over her breasts and along her belly. Ghosting his hand across her naked sex, his teeth latched onto her right hip. He bit, sucked and licked until he was satisfied with his work and, when he raised his head, there was an angry purple hickey left on Ace's hip.

He crawled back up over her until their faces were level. Ace looked up at him, a smirk playing across her lips.

"Marking your territory?" she asked.

Daryl returned her smirk as he pressed a light kiss to her collarbone.

"Maybe."

Ace chuckled and ran a hand through his blonde hair, bringing him back up to look at her.

"I'm not your girlfriend, Daryl." she told him. "I don't wanna be."

"I know." he replied. "And I don't wanna be your boyfriend. I'm happy with... whatever this is. Just know that if I find you're goin' elsewhere, I'll break your pretty little neck."

She cocked an eyebrow.

"That a threat?"

"No, that's a promise."

Ace chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Sure ya don't wanna piss on my leg, too?" she laughed. "I think I like it when you get territorial. It's sexy. And don't worry, I ain't warmin' no one else's bed."

"Good." he told her. "Keep it that way. I don't like sharin'."

They fell silent once more, enjoying the company of one another until their moment was ruined once again by Merle.

"Hey!" he called through the door. "What you two doin'? You're on work time now, and I ain't payin you to fuck!"

Daryl sighed.

"He never was subtle." he remarked, making Ace chuckle.

"Yeah, I gathered." she replied, sitting up and stretching her arms above her head, allowing Daryl to lay back and marvel at her naked glory. "Hey, you think you and Merle will be alright to open by yourselves today?"

Daryl glanced over at her as he too sat up and reached for his jeans.

"Why?"

"I gotta make a quick dash to the pharmacy." she told him. "The wet patch I woke up in tells me we didn't use nothin' last night. Gotta nip that in the bud."

Daryl's face went pale.

"Oh... yeah." he stuttered. "You should probably take care of that."

Ace chuckled.

"Relax, I will." she assured him. "The world's already got it's hands full with the two existing Dixons. It don't need any miniature versions fuckin' shit up."

Daryl laughed in spite of himself as he watched her climb out of bed, still naked. She grabbed her bra off the floor, slipping it onto her arms and asking for a hand to clip it up. Daryl stood up to pull his jeans over his hips and obliged her, after which she bent back down and grabbed the black cut off tank she had worn the night before. After pulling it over her head, she bent over once more, almost knocking Daryl flat on his ass with the view as she searched for her underwear. Instead though, she found only a torn scrap of black lace.

"You owe me a new thong." she told Daryl, throwing the useless material at him.

He caught it and laughed her statement off but, when she wasn't looking, he opened the top drawer of his nightstand and slipped them inside.

When he turned back around, she was pulling up her jeans.

"Guess I'm goin' commando today." she remarked, zipping her fly. "Can I borrow your truck?"

"Why?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes.

"I came here with Mitch last night, and I'm guessin' he's still sleepin' it off." she explained. "My brother is a bitch with a hangover. I ain't wakin' him up."

Daryl grabbed his keys from the top of his nightstand and tossed them at her. She snatched them out of midair.

"Thanks." she said with a smile. "I'll be back soon."

She turned and placed her hand on the doorknob.

"What you want me to tell Merle?" Daryl asked after her.

Ace turned back to him and shrugged.

"The truth?" she suggested. "It's not like it's some big secret that we fucked."

Daryl nodded.

"Alright. See you when you get back."

* * *

When Ace pulled Daryl's truck back up in his driveway twenty minutes later, everyone was up and about, most of them looking worse for wear after the previous night's events. She put the pick up in park and crossed to her brother's Dodge. He was leaning up against the hood talking to Merle so, rather than bother him, she made her way around the other side to where Mandy was sitting in the front seat, fixing her make up in the sunvisor's mirror.

"Morning." Ace said casually, smiling at her friend.

Mandy snapped the visor shut and and turned in her seat.

"Mornin'." she replied, returning Ace's smile. "How you feelin'?"

Ace shrugged.

"No pain. You know me."

Mandy laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, I do." she agreed. "And I also know that _somebody_ had a good time last night."

The redhead shot her friend a knowing wink, causing Ace to avert her gaze and smirk at the ground.

"Maybe." she said evasively.

"Maybe my ass." Mandy retorted. "Don't think this is over. I'll be waitin' at your place this afternoon to hear about every excruciating detail."

Ace chuckled.

"I'm sure you will." she said, hooking her thumbs into her belt loops and kicking a stray rock with the toe of her worn biker boots.

Her attention was claimed by a heavy arm across her shoulders, and she looked up to find her big brother grinning down at her.

"I'd ask how you got on last night, but we could all hear it." Mitch told his sister with a knowing chuckle.

Ace poked her tongue out at him.

"Fuck you." she told him, shrugging his arm off as she reached into her pocket for her cigarettes, fishing one our for herself and another for Mitch who took the thin white stick gratefully.

"Hey Mandy." Mitch spoke again, addressing the redhead in his truck. "Mind if I talk to my sister real quick?"

Mandy smiled and shook her head as she jumped down from the passenger seat and took off in search of her own sister, whom she had last seen by the garage talking with Mikey. Mitch watched her go before turning back to Ace.

"So..." he began. "You and Daryl, huh? Didn't take him for your type."

Ace shot her brother a confused look.

"And what exactly is my 'type'?" she asked him.

Mitch shrugged.

"I dunno." he admitted. "Not redneck?"

Ace chuckled.

"Yeah, well, you don't have to worry." she told him, anticipating his next question. "It's nothin' serious."

Mitch gave a bark of laughter.

"With you, Ace, when is it ever?" he teased, ruffling his baby sister's hair before his tone turned serious. "I just don't wanna see you get hurt."

Ace scoffed.

"Mitch, please." she said, trying to keep the scorn out of her voice. "When have I ever needed you to look out for me? I can take care of myself and you know it. That's why you left home like you did."

Mitch grimaced and studied his feet intently. He had always known his sister would harbour some ill feelings towards him for abandoning her and Alisha at home with their mother, regardless of how deep she hid them. But it was true, Ace had always been self-sufficient. Their father had seen to that. She had been his first daughter, and he had adored her and spent the first fourteen years of her life before he split teaching her to survive on her own in a man's world. And she had always done a damn good job applying his teachings to her life. Even in high school, she had never needed her big brothers to look out for her. Not many boys had ever done her wrong as she had always been the type to take what she wanted and then leave, but the few that had hurt her, she had taken care of it all by herself. Ace was a strong girl.

"Look, Ace-"

"Can we just not do this now, Mitch?" she cut him off quickly, her brown eyes pleading. "I gotta start work in a minute."

Mitch sighed.

"Yeah, okay. We'll raincheck that conversation." he promised her. "But it ain't over."

She smiled at the ground and nodded.

"You need a ride home this afternoon?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"It's fine, I'll probably catch a ride home with Daryl." she told him, casting her eyes in the direction of the garage. "Either that or I'll walk. Just... Go home, make yourself comfortable and relax."

Mitch smiled at his sister.

"Okay." he agreed, resting a hand on her shoulder. "And we'll talk when you get home, right?"

"Yeah. I gotta get to work."

Without another word, she turned away from her brother and headed into the garage, her head in a weird place. She hadn't meant to spit thinly veiled accusations at her brother. It had just slipped out before she could stop it. She had hated seeing the guilt in his eyes when he looked at her. He had done nothing wrong by her and she had made him feel like shit.

Once inside, she found Merle and Daryl standing before an old F Truck. The hood was up and both brothers were surveying the engine bay with looks of sheer resignation. She cleared her throat, catching their attention.

Merle gave a sigh of relief.

"Good, you're back." he said immediately. "And since I know you ain't pregnant, you can give Daryl a hand. I cancelled all your jobs today. I need you, Daryl and Mikey on this one."

She nodded, ignoring the crack about her and Daryl while waiting for further explanation.

"Family passing through on their way to Florida." Merle continued. "They were on the main street this morning when something just blew up. I need y'all figurin' out what the fuck it was and fixin' it so's these people can get on their way."

It wasn't until then that Ace noticed the extra people in the garage. She supposed they were the owners of the truck. The man gave off an unmistakable air of authority as he gave her a friendly smile, inclining his head in her direction.

"Rick Grimes." he said, stepping forward with his hand outstretched.

"Ace." she replied simply, placing her hand in his and giving it a firm shake.

"Nice to meet you. This is my wife, Lori, and my boy. Carl, say hello."

A young boy about twelve looked up at her shyly, mumbling a quick hello before hiding behind his heavily pregnant mother, who remained silent. Ace got the vibe that there was some tension between the couple, but she quickly put it out of her mind as she stepped closer to the truck. It wasn't her place to be wondering about it.

"Right." Merle spoke up again. "Now that we all know each other, I'm gonna head back to the office. Got paperwork to do. You two get on this now. Mikey's in the can. If he takes anymore than five minutes, kick the door in and drag the little shitbag out by his hair."

Ace and Daryl nodded at Merle's retreating back as he walked away. Ace then turned back to the truck, grabbing the flashlight hanging out of Daryl's pocket and shining it into the engine bay.

"So it just blew up, huh?" she heard Daryl ask Rick, the cogs in his brain obviously ticking.

"Yep." Rick confirmed. "No more than two minutes into town here and she just..."

He trailed off, making the sound of an explosion with his lips.

Daryl turned and stared at the truck, nodding thoughtfully.

"I got a few things in mind that it could be, but they'll all take a while to check out." he told the family. "Why don't y'all have a look around town, try and keep yourselves entertained? Merle's got your number, so he can give you a call when we figure out what's up."

Rick nodded, giving Daryl that friendly smile.

"I sure do appreciate it." he said sincerely, shaking Daryl's hand as he beckoned to his wife and son.

"I told you we should've got Shane to take a look at it before we left." Ace heard his wife mutter in an accusatory tone as they walked away.

"Dad, when are we gonna get to Disneyworld?"

No more was heard as the family rounded the corner, and Ace returned her full attention to the job in front of her.

"Hey, I know cars ain't exactly your speciality." Daryl said, continuing to look the car over. "But could I convince you to get under and shine a light for me? Best I can do until that tight bastard in there springs the money for a hoist."

Ace chuckled.

"Yeah, no worries."

She dropped to her knees on the hard cement floor and rolled onto her back, pushing with her feet until only her legs stuck out. She could feel Daryl's eyes on her as she squirmed so, grinning to herself, she stuck out the arm holding the flashlight and flicked it on and off rapidly. She heard the telltale cursing that let her know she had hit her target: his baby blues.

"Hey, eyes on the job mister." she scolded him playfully.

She heard him chuckle and then saw his head appear above her as he bent over the engine bay.

"Alright, shine the light up here past the block." he told her.

She followed his finger with the beam of the flashlight, craning her neck as much as she could to get a better view of what he was looking at.

"Alright, hold it there." he told her as he disappeared momentarily to grab a socket wrench.

She watched as he worked, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. She felt the familiar tingle in her stomach, but ignored it. Now wasn't the time.

"What's goin' on?"

Daryl looked up at the sound of the voice that had joined them.

"Mikey. Good of you to join us." he said sarcastically. "Come here and hold this wrench. I gotta grab something."

Ace lay there and continued to watch as Mikey's head replaced Daryl's above the engine bay. He spotted her underneath the car and raised an eyebrow.

"What you doin' down there?" he asked stupidly. "You're a motorcycle mechanic. This is a truck."

Ace rolled her eyes.

"Really? I had no fuckin' idea." she deadpanned. "I'm just helpin' Daryl out."

She saw the young boy smirk above her.

"Oh yeah? Then, from what I hear, this is the second time in twenty-four hours he's got you on your back."

Ace frowned, about to worm out from under the car and slam Mikey's head under the hood and wipe that shit-eating grin right off his face until she heard a heavy slap of skin on skin as Daryl's large hand connected with the side of the apprentice's head. She settled back down with a smile of satisfaction.

"Hey, show some fuckin' respect." Daryl growled, taking the socket wrench back out of Mikey's hand. "Ace, stop laughin'. You're making the light shake."

Ace, who had indeed been quivering with silent laughter beneath the car, quickly composed herself and steadied the flashlight once more.

"Sorry." she apologised, still smirking.

Daryl caught her eye and returned it with one of his own before setting to work. After a few moments of silence, he stood up straight and wiped his forearm across his brow.

"Alright, I think I found the problem." he announced. "Mikey, go help Ace up."

At Daryl's words, Ace switched off the flashlight and began to push herself out from under the car. She yelped when a hand unexpectedly grabbed her ankle and yanked her forwards, causing her to cry out again, this time in pain.

"Shit, you alright?" she heard Daryl say.

She glanced back up, seeing his head still above her.

"Dumbass just tried to yank me out. I hit my head on the edge of the wheel well." she explained, fighting the tears that had welled up in the corner of her eyes.

She saw as Daryl looked over at Mikey, his face suddenly furious.

"Fuck's sake, Mikey, I said help her up, not knock her out!" he shouted.

"It was an accident." the younger man defended himself feebly.

Daryl scoffed.

"Get your useless ass outta here, man. We got this, just go on home." he ordered as he walked around the car and knelt down next to Ace's legs.

He reached under the truck and took her hand.

"You okay?" he asked, voice filled with concern.

"Yeah." Ace replied, wiping something warm and wet from her forhead. "Just help me out."

Daryl did as she asked, easing Ace out from under the truck. When her head finally reappeared and she sat up, his eyes widened.

"Shit, you're bleedin'." he told her, reaching over to wipe blood off her forehead, reavealing a large, angry gash.

Ace put a hand to her forehead, wincing at the sudden sting of pain that jolted through her body as she touched the wound.

"I'm okay." she assured him, attempting to get up only to be pushed gently back down by Daryl's hand on her shoulder.

"Just let me look at it a second." he insisted, leaning in close enough for her to inhale his heady scent and forget for a moment the throbbing pain in her head. "Shit Ace, I think it needs stitches."

She groaned, not liking the idea. She'd been through that too many times before.

"You want me to call the doctor?" he asked her.

She shook her head slowly. Daryl sighed.

"Well, what the hell you want me to do then? We can't just leave it like that."

She shrugged.

"Boil me some water, and go find me a needle and thread." she told him eventually.

She was no stranger to sewing her own flesh back together. It was how she'd always dealt with the wounds her mother had inflicted on her with broken bottles, and this was no different.

"You sure?" Daryl asked incredulously, his eyebrow cocked.

"Yeah." she assured him, grabbing the oily rag from his pocket as he kneeled beside her and pressing it to the cut, trying her best to stem the flow of blood.

Giving her one last uncertain glance, Daryl stood up and retreated to the office to ask Merle for the things she had requested. He returned moments later with his big brother in tow.

Merle kneeled down next to the injured girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, staring intently into her eyes. Knowing what he was doing, Ace followed his movement with her own until he finally sat back on his haunches.

"She don't seem concussed or nothin'." Merle told his younger brother before turning back to his motorcycle mechanic. "You sure you don't wanna see a doctor, sweetheart?"

Ace almost smiled. If her head didn't hurt so bad, the concern in Merle's voice would've been touching. She nodded.

"Yeah, it's okay." she promised him. "I can do it myself."

Merle glanced up at Daryl, who simply shrugged as if to say 'what else can we do?'. They both knew they couldn't force Ace to accept medical attention.

With an almighty sigh, Merle grabbed one of Ace's arms and dragged it round his shoulder as he nodded to Daryl to grab her other side. The younger Dixon darted forward and ducked under Ace's other arm, both brothers steadying her with a hand on her back as they led her out of the garage and up to the house.

"You can use the mirror in the bathroom." Merle explained as he and Daryl helped her up the front steps.

"I can walk, y'know." she pointed out.

"Ain't gonna chance you fallin' and hittin' your head even worse." Daryl told her as he reached forward with his free hand and pulled the front door open, leading Ace and Merle inside.

They supported her down the hallway and into the tiny bathroom, sitting her on the edge of the tub. Daryl sat himself beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist to prevent her from falling backwards.

"Wait here." Merle told them as he left the room, returning moments later with the requested needle and thread.

Ace accepted them with a muttered thanks.

"No boiled water?" she asked.

Merle shook his head.

"It'll take too long, and you need to get that taken care of now."

Sighing to herself, Ace nodded as she unravelled some thread and set to getting it through the tiny loop at the end of the needle.

"I still gotta heat the needle, or it won't go through." she said as she worked. "There's a lighter in the left side of my bra that'll have to do. Can someone grab it for me while I try to get this damn thing threaded?"

Merle smirked and took a step back, his hands raised.

"Think I'll leave that to you, baby brother." he said, sending Daryl a lewd wink.

Daryl gave a nervous chuckle, unsure about how he felt about reaching down Ace's top not only while sober-ish, but with his big brother watching from the door. They needed to get this done though so, ignoring Merle, he slipped his hand into her left bra cup, fishing around for the lighter she had said was in there. He felt her shiver when his thumb brushed her nipple, but no lighter.

"It's not in there." he said, not yet withdrawing his hand.

Ace gave him a cheeky grin. Even with blood pouring from a gash on her forehead, she could still find time to to get under his skin.

"Oops." she said, still smiling. "Must've been the right one."

Daryl gave her a half smile and switched sides, his fingers immediately closing around her engraved Zippo lighter. The grin still on her face told Daryl she had known all along where the lighter had been. She just liked to see him squirm.

He handed it to her, hoping his cheeks weren't red, although one look at his brother's face told him they were. Ace sparked the lighter into life and held the tip of the now threaded needle over the flame for a moment.

"Alright." she said finally. "I need to stand up so I can see the mirror."

Daryl stood up first and took her hand, helping her up. She steadied herself on her feet and took a step towards the cracked mirror over the sink, raising the needle to her forehead.

Daryl closed his eyes, but he heard her hiss sharply as she pierced her skin. Opening them again, he watched as she really went to work, stabbing the sharp point of the needle into her flesh over and over and tying off each individual stitch as she went. He noticed tears welling up in her brown eyes with each puncture wound, but they never spilled over. He guessed she'd done this before.

Twenty minutes and ten stitches later, she placed the needle down on the sink top and turned back to face Daryl and his brother.

"Good as new." she beamed at them.

Daryl chuckled slightly as his eyes took in the sewn up wound marring her otherwise perfect (if grease stained) face. It would leave a nice scar, that was for sure. He grabbed his towel off the rack on the wall and held the corner of it under the tap.

"Come here." he beckoned, and she took a step towards him.

He took the wet edge of the towel and began dabbing the dried blood away from the wound and where it had dripped down onto her nose. Their eyes locked and Ace gave him a smile that didn't seem to fit with her personality as he knew it. Hell, it was almost... shy.

He chuckled nervously as he broke their eye contact, biting his bottom lip as he gazed down at the floor.

"Much better." he said, tossing the towel aside onto the floor.

She gave him the same shy smile as before and thanked him quietly.

"Do I need to leave?"

The two of them started at Merle's words, both of them having almost forgotten he was there. But there he was, with a stupid smirk on his face as his eyes flicked between them.

Daryl cleared his throat.

"Nah." he told his brother. "We're good."

"Then can I get you to give Ace a ride home?"

Ace whipped her head to face Merle.

"What? No, I'm fine to come back to work." she insisted.

But Merle was having none of it.

"Uh-uh. No way, Missy. You take your ass on home to bed." he told her, shaking his head. "I said you don't _seem_ concussed, but I ain't no doctor. You go on home and rest today and, if you're feelin' okay, you can come back tomorrow."

Ace sighed.

"Come on, Merle." she pleaded.

"No." he said with an air of finality as he turned his back on her and walked away.

Ace turned to Daryl with a helpless look on her face. Daryl simply shrugged.

"The hell you want me to do about it?" he asked. "Besides, he's right. You should go home and rest. Just in case."

Ace rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, making Daryl chuckle.

"You're cute when you get mad." he told her, closing the gap between them as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

She rested her head against his chest and sighed.

"Still a bit drunk, I see." she remarked.

He chuckled again.

"Yeah. Just enough." he agreed softly as he stroked her hair, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head. "It'll wear off soon, though."

There was a heavy silence between them, which seemed to say everything that Ace didn't want to.

"I don't want it to either Ace." Daryl said, seemingly reading her mind. "I like bein' like this with ya."

She gave a soft chuckle and pulled herself out of his embrace.

"I like it, too." she told him. "Just as long as we don't get any ideas. This is still just sex, Daryl."

He nodded.

"I know. Like I said, I'm happy with that. Don't mean I can't be..." he trailed off and shot her a strange look. "What's the word I'm lookin' for?"

Ace shrugged.

"Affectionate?" she suggested, and he smiled.

"Yeah, that's it. Affectionate." he agreed. "I mean, it can't hurt, right? As soon as I'm completely sober, I probably won't even be able to look at you too much. Might as well make the most of the time we get."

Ace laughed and nodded.

"Yeah." she said. "I like the sound of that. Now, I suppose you'd best be gettin' me home so you can get back to work."

Daryl grimaced and nodded as he reluctantly released her from his embrace. He liked the feeling of being close to her. And maybe it was just the last remnants of the alcohol he had consumed the previous night buzzing around in his brain, but when she touched him he could swear he felt a strange fluttering somewhere in his stomach.

He watched as she made to leave the bathroom, pausing at the door and turning to face him, her eyebrow raised slightly.

"You comin'?"

He nodded again.

"Yeah." he replied, his voice coming out oddly raspy.

He followed her through the house and out the door, stealing glances at her behind as she walked. Daryl had never identified himself as being specifically a tits or ass man. He thought the whole idea was ridiculous. A woman was a woman, wasn't she? He failed to see how one body part was the deciding factor of whether or not he should be interested, but be damned if he'd ever seen an ass like the one this girl had on her!

Watching as Ace's hips swayed as she crossed the driveway to his beat up old truck, he wondered if she was doing it on purpose. He'd never really payed attention to how she walked before, but surely her backside didn't normally swing like that. Did it?

As she hoisted herself into the passenger seat, he pulled the driver's side door open, making a mental note to oil the hinges later as the loud and drawn out_creeeeeaak_ made him wince. It was like nails on a fucking chalkboard. He climbed into the seat and slipped his keys into the ignition, the truck roaring into life beneath them.

It was a silent, bumpy ride to Ace's house. He stole the odd glance over at her as her breasts bounced with every pothole they hit. She soon caught him looking and smirked as she slapped him lightly on the shoulder. He laughed quietly and turned his attention back to the road. He found himself oddly sad when they pulled up in Ace's driveway minutes later.

He killed the engine and turned slightly in his seat to look at her. She returned the gesture and smiled.

"Well..." she began. "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem." he replied, unsure of what else to say.

It seemed she had the same problem, as she sat silently for a moment, making no move to get out of the car.

"Wanna come in for a beer?" she asked finally, a slightly hopeful look on her face.

Daryl sighed and shook his head.

"I should probably get back. Give Merle a hand with that truck." he told her regretfully.

"Well then how about you swing by after work?" she asked, her voice louder this time as if her confidence had momentarily abandoned her and then swiftly come back between this sentence and the last. "We can kick back, have a few beers.. See what happens?"

He felt his face go red. He definitely wasn't drunk enough for that kind of talk anymore.

He cleared his throat.

"Maybe." he said non-commitally, knowing he would definitely be there regardless.

She gave him that soft smile that seemed so out of place on her, and so different to her usual cheeky grin.

"Well... Thanks again." she told him as she opened the passenger side door and began to slide herself out of the truck. "Might see ya tonight."

He returned her smile as he heard her boots hit the pavement. She shut the door behind her and stood back as he restarted the engine and threw it into reverse, slowly backing out of the driveway. He gave her a small wave, which she returned before retreating onto her porch. Once he was out of sight, she squeezed her eyes shut and sighed, pressing her back against the wall and sliding all the way down it until her backside hit the floor, her legs splayed in front of her as she ran both hands down her face.

"Fuckin' idiot." she muttered to herself under her breath.

"Been tellin' you that for years, little one."

Ace almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of the voice. She looked up to find her big brother standing over her, a grin plastered on his face. She scowled and punched him in the shin, hard, and smiled with satisfaction when Mitch let out a yelp of pain, hopping up on one foot as he massaged his sore leg.

"Scared the shit outta me. Asshole." she told him.

After a moment, he lowered himself onto the floor of the porch beside his sister, sliding an arm around her shoulder.

"You gonna tell me what's up?" he asked. "You can start with the giant scar-in-the-making on your forehead."

Ace sighed again and shook her head as she reached up and gingerly ran a finger along her stitches.

"I hit my head at work." she said quietly. "No big deal."

"You seen a doctor?" Mitch asked her, concerned.

Ace scoffed, and he took that as a no.

"Why not, Ace." he pressed gently, knowing that slow and steady was the way to proceed when trying to talk to his sister about anything even remotely serious. Push too fast or too far and she would just clam up.

She shrugged.

"Ain't never needed no doctor to stitch me up before." she reasoned. "Why start now?"

Mitch opened his mouth to reply, but thought better of it, sensing from the finality in her tone that this particular conversation was over.

"Alright." he conceded, changing tracks. "So, why are you a fuckin' idiot, then?"

She gave a half-hearted chuckle.

"Where should I start?" she said, making a joke in an attempt to get her older brother off her back.

He wasn't buying it.

"Seriously, Ace." he pressed, not even cracking a smile.

She gave an exasperated sigh.

"Jesus Mitch, I ain't even in the front door yet." she said almost pleadingly. "I don't wanna talk about it, alright?"

Mitch withdrew his arm from her shoulders and frowned down at her.

"C'mon, Ace." he said. "You used to tell me everything."

"Yeah, and then you bailed!" she spat at him, her sudden anger taking him by surprise.

She pushed herself up, pacing the porch in a rage.

"Y'know, I dunno where the hell you get off!" she continued. "You just... You fuck off and leave both me and Alisha to misery, not even a fuckin' call to make sure we're okay. Now, five years later, you show up fresh outta jail and expect me to just be your baby sister again? I dunno if you noticed, Mitch, but I been doin' just fine without you, so crawl outta my ass and stay outta my life!"

Mitch stayed seated with his back against the wall, a stunned look on his face as his sister stormed into the house, slamming the door so hard behind her that the windows rattled. Ace always had been a firecracker, and being on the receiving end of her temper was never fun, but it seemed even less so when he had no idea what he'd done to set her off in the first place.

Slowly, he stood up and follwed her inside. He knew that, after one of her explosions, the best thing to do was just to give his sister her space, but he felt the need to get to the bottom of this immediately.

He walked down the hallway and stopped outside her bedroom door, which was closed. He knocked tentatively and waited for her reply.

"What?" came her sullen voice from the other side of the door.

Mitch took that as his cue and pushed it open, peering inside to make sure she wasn't going to spring out at him with some blunt object and smack him across the face with it. It had happened before.

But no. Instead, he found her on her bad, back resting against the headboard and her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around them. She was staring expressionlessly at the wall, but she wasn't crying. That just wasn't Ace's style.

Satisfied that she wasn't going to try and murder him, Mitch stepped into the room completely, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him. He crossed to her bed and sat down gently on the edge, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder and waiting for her to speak.

"I'm sorry." she said finally, so quiet he barely heard it. "I shouldn't have given you a hard time about leavin'."

Mitch shook his head.

"No, I deserved it." he told her remorsefully. "I understand you feeling that way. You were twenty-one, and I left you to look after an eleven year old while dodgin' broken bottles. Go on, say it. I'm an asshole of a brother."

Ace gave a small chuckle and shook her head.

"You ain't. she assured him, dropping her head onto her knees. I'm the asshole. I can't turn around and give you a hard time for bailin' out on me when I did the same to Leesh. I was bitter for a long time, Mitch, but I always understood. Besides, I only really brought it up to get you off my case."

Mitch smiled as he patted her arm, the guilt that had been twisting his insides for the last five years loosening it's grip ever-so-slightly.

"I'm glad to hear it." he said, leaning in to kiss his little sister on the side of her head. "Now, you gonna tell me what you was sittin' out on the porch beatin' yourself up about?"

Ace sighed and shrugged.

"Daryl." she said simply, finally relenting and letting her brother in.

Mitch raised an eyebrow.

"What about him?" he wondered aloud.

"I'm not even sure I know." she admitted. "I mean... It's not wrong for me to be having sex with him without any intention of taking it further, is it?"

Mitch almost laughed.

"Ace, when have you ever been concerned about that?" he asked, the thought of his sister's extremely casual sex life not bothering him in the slightest. The pair had always been very open with one another. He knew everything about her, right down to the last gruesome detail. Nothing she said could shock him.

She shrugged again.

"Wasn't such a big deal in Atlanta." she replied. "It's a big place. This town... There's one bar, Mitch. Everyone knows everyone. He's lived here pretty much his entire life. If I hurt him..."

He listened as she trailed off, a frown crossing his features.

"I mean, I still gotta work with the guy." she continued after a moment. "I just... I wish I'd put a little more thought into before we..."

"Ace, stop." Mitch told her forcefully. "You're being ridiculous. This guy, Daryl. You like him?"

Ace nodded.

"He's a good friend." she confirmed.

"You like bein' around him?"

She nodded again.

"Does he... perform okay?"

Ace laughed as she nodded once more.

"Better than okay." she replied with a smirk. "More like amazing."

Mitch pulled a face.

"Gross." he told her. "Anyway, the point I was tryin' to make is this: You're happy. As far as you know, he's happy. You both like things the way they are, so why start freakin' out about somethin' that's probably never gonna happen?"

Ace chuckled and removed her arms from around her knees, sitting up straighter.

"Yeah, you're right." she conceded. "I'm overthinking this, ain't I?"

Mitch nodded.

"A little. I mean, you were never the girl who was concerned about tomorrow. You've always been about the moment, especially when it comes to things like this. Just... keep bein' who you've always been. Never gone wrong before, have ya?"

She shook her head.

"Guess not." she replied.

"What got ya thinkin' about this, anyway?" he asked, curious as to how his normally carefree younger sister had even gotten these thoughts into her head to begin with.

She was silent for a moment, and Mitch was beginning to worry that he had pushed too far. He needn't have though, because she soon burst into a peal of quiet laughter.

"Y'know, I have no idea." she admitted to her big brother, a smile making it's way back onto her face. "Guess I hit my head harder than I thought. Maybe I _should_ see a doctor."

Mitch laughed with her and leaned forward pressing another kiss to the side of her head and tousling her hair playfully. She ducked away from his arm and leaned into his shoulder.

"Ah, fuck it." she spoke, her voice quiet again. "You're right, like always. Don't even know why I was worried. Thanks for the talk."

Mitch smiled as he stood up.

"Any time." he promised her. "As long as you try not to bite my head off next time."

She chuckled.

"No guarantees." she said jokingly as her brother pulled the door open. "I'm glad you're here, Mitch."

He turned back to her just as he left the room.

"Nowhere I'd rather be."


	6. Chapter 6

_It's Thursday again, yay! This chapter turned out a little more filler-ish than I had planned, but I'm still pretty happy with it. Also, huge thanks as always to my reviewers. __**Shadowhunter89,**__ it will probably be a while until she stumbles across that, if at all. This is, first and foremost, a story about a developing friendship with a sexual element. I haven't actually decided whether or not I'm going to make them fall in love or not yet. Also, I'm really glad you like Mitch! He's the kind of big brother I wish I could've had (I'm the oldest), and I love writing that sort of character. And __**Leyshla Gisel, **__indeed, thoughts are starting to be thunk! Nothing really romantic yet, as I've said, but I think everyone who's been in a friends-with-benefits kind of situation struggles with their feelings at first. Y'know, all that kind of 'do-I-don't-I?' kind of stuff. Please keep up the reviews, ladies! I do love hearing your thoughts!_

_Now, onto the chapter!_

**_I do not own Daryl or Merle Dixon, or any other characters you may recognise from AMC's The Walking Dead. The original characters and plotline are my own creation. Please respect that. Also, this fic is rated M for a reason._**

* * *

"So how was it? Well, I mean... I don't mean _it_. No wait. Yes I do! How was _it_?"

Ace laughed as she closed her fridge door and wandered back into the living room with three beers. One for her, one for Mandy and one for Olivia.

She shrugged as she set the drinks down on the coffee table.

"What is this? High school?" she asked, still grinning as she collapsed onto the couch next to her friends. "I told you, it was good. What else d'you want me to say?"

Olivia rolled her eyes as she leaned forwards and stubbed her cigarette out in the ashtray.

"_Good_ tells us nothing." she said, her big sister nodding vehemently in agreement. "Give us details!"

Ace shot her friends a confused look.

"God, I don't know!" she cried. "Ask me questions, at least then I'll know exactly what you wanna hear."

Mandy chuckled as she sipped her beer.

"He do foreplay?"

Ace gave a bark of laughter and nodded, both girls' eyes widening in surprise.

"Really? He doesn't seem the type." Olivia stated.

Ace smiled. She liked Mandy's kid sister, although 'kid' wasn't exactly the word. She was twenty-two, four years younger than Ace and eight years beneath her sister. She was tall, with honey blonde hair that hung to her elbows and bright blue eyes that seemed to run in the family. She was young, but fun to be around.

"He go down?" Mandy shot another question at Ace.

"Oh yeah." Ace confirmed, the two girls on the couch beside her squealing with excited laughter.

"He hung?" Olivia asked, her eyes narrowing and a smile twisting her darkly painted lips.

Ace laughed as she grabbed her cigarettes off the coffee table, slowly drawing one out and placing it between her lips as she grabbed the lighter out of her bra. The girls were practically foaming at the mouths waiting for the answer, so Ace took her time, enjoying making them wait.

Finally, her cigarette lit, she slowly exhaled the smoke as she answered.

"Like a stallion."

The two sisters disolved into giggles once more and Ace simply smiled.

"Uh... what'd I just walk in on?"

The three girls glanced around to find Ace's older brother's head poking through the living room door. Ace merely chuckled as she took another sip of her beer. Mitch could play shocked all he wanted. He'd heard much worse from her, and he knew it.

"Get outta here, Mitch!" Mandy exclaimed, flicking the cap of her bottle at him, the piece of jagged metal bouncing off his cheek. "This here's girl talk."

Mitch laughed, rubbing the small red mark the bottle cap had made on his face.

"Alright, alright!" he cried with a smirk. "I'm goin'. Jeez!"

With that, he withdrew his head and the girls could hear him tromping off up the hallway to his bedroom. There was silence among them for a moment as they all sipped their beers thoughtfully, Ace hoping they could get off the subject of Daryl. Back in the city, she had always shared detail of her escapades with her friends, but here, in this tiny southern town, it just felt wrong.

"You goin' to the Fall Festival next weekend?" Olivia asked finally, her question directed at her sister.

Mandy snorted.

"When do I ever miss it?" she asked rhetorically before inclining her head towards Ace. "How 'bout you?"

Ace cocked an eyebrow.

"What the hell is a Fall Festival?" she wondered aloud.

"Happens every year at the start of Fall." Olivia explained. "They close off the main street, everyone brings out their stalls, there's rides for the kids. Live music and dancing at the end of the night. And fireworks. It's good fun, you should come along."

Ace nodded thoughtfully, considering it. She'd been working on bikes for a living since she was eighteen years old. She loved it, but it was a time consuming job. Even in the city, it wasn't often she got the chance to get out of the Daisy Duke cut-offs and oil stained tank tops, do her hair up pretty, slap on some make up and be a woman.

"Sounds like a trip." she told her friends finally. "I'll be there."

Mandy smiled as she drained her beer before opening her mouth to say something. She was cut off, however, by the sound of a car pulling up out front. The read head glanced out the window and then back at her raven-haired friend.

"You expectin' someone?" she asked.

Ace frowned for a moment before something clicked in her brain and she remembered.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, setting her beer down and jumping to her feet. "And I'm sorry, but y'all gotta clear out. Like five minutes ago."

Olivia stared up at her in confusion, but Mandy's face split into a knowing grin.

"It's Daryl, ain't it?"

"Yup. And if y'all don't get your asses outta here, ain't no way I'll be gettin' laid tonight." Ace replied unashamedly as she ushered them out of their seats and over to the front door.

"Jeez, alright already!" Olivia said, sounding flustered as her blonde hair whipped around her face in the rush.

"Damn, you just had him last night!" Mandy cried, wincing as her younger sister stood on her foot. "He that good that you can't wait a few days?"

Ace merely grinned as she opened the front door, only to come face to face with a surprised Daryl, who had clearly just raised his fist to knock.

"Hey!" she said, a bright smile crossing her face. She was genuinely happy to see him. Contrary to her friend's thoughts and her words minutes ago in the living room, she honestly couldn't care less if she and Daryl had sex tonight. Sure, it'd be great, but she was also happy just hanging out as friends_without_ the benefits.

"Uh... Hey." Daryl replied, unsure of himself around the Peters sisters. "Mandy, Liv."

The girls returned his nod.

"Hey Daryl." Mandy said, shooting him a smile. "C'mon in, we were just havin' a few drinks."

"Actually, they were just _leavin'_." Ace spoke through gritted teeth, shooting her friend a pointed glare.

Mandy sighed.

"Well, you suck." she told Ace, the ghost of a smirk gracing her lips. "Guess we'll see you at the bar tomorrow. And you make sure your brother gets his ass down there tonight!"

Ace nodded as Mandy and her sister stepped through the front door onto the porch, pushing past Daryl as they went. She stood at the door long enough to wave them off before returning her brown eyed gaze to the man on her doorstep.

"You gonna come in or what?" she asked, a small smile fixed on her face.

Daryl returned it and nodded, stepping over the threshold into her house and taking a look around.

"Nice place." he commented, taking it all in.

Ace snorted.

"Yeah, if by 'nice place' you mean 'total dump'." she replied. "Which reminds me, if you ain't busy one afternoon this week, think you could help me get up into the roof above the bathroom and find some racoons? Tried to get 'em earlier, but I hit my head again and it hurt too bad for me to stay up there."

Daryl nodded.

"Yeah, no problem." he assured her. "How _is_ your head, anyway?"

She felt his blue eyes flicker up to the forming scar on her forehead.

"Better now. I'm dosed up with Ibuprofen." she remarked with a shrug. "I'll take the stitches out later in the week."

He nodded again, taking a seat in one of the tattered, overstuffed recliners as she collapsed onto the three seater, her boots up on the armrest.

"So, uh... We alone?" he asked her tentatively.

She glanced over at him.

"Mitch is in his room, but I expect he'll be off to the bar soon enough." she told him. "Mandy's invitation, y'know..."

Daryl chuckled knowingly and nodded.

"Why d'you ask?" Ace continued.

He shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious again.

"I, uh... I got a case of beer and a couple bottles of Jack out in the truck if... y'know, if you're interested."

Ace fought back a smile as she watched his cheeks go red. Some girls might read his reluctance while sober as a bad sign, but Ace had known enough guys like him, albeit back in high school. He just lacked the confidence. She hoped, if they kept their not-so-secret affair going long enough, she could change that. She was sure the girl who married him (if it ever happened) would thank her.

"I might be later." she told him, trying her best to keep the amusement out of her voice. No reason to make him feel even more insecure. "But how about we watch a movie or somethin' first? Go grab the beer and we'll have a few while we watch if you want."

He gave yet another nod and raised himself up out of his seat, leaving through the front door and hurrying down to his truck. He pulled open the passenger side door and grabbed the case of Heineken off the seat, hauling it up onto his shoulder as he made his way back into the house.

He had been hoping that bringing alcohol wouldn't be considered too forward. From what he could see, Ace was a pretty open-minded girl, but he never was any good at reading signals. For now, he was just glad to be hanging out with her. As good as she was in bed, she also made a good friend which, in itself, was odd for Daryl. He'd never had a lot of female friends in his life. He was just too damn awkward around them. But Ace, when she wasn't writhing underneath him, was almost like one of the guys. He hadn't realised it in the past, but he was coming to believe it was a quality he liked in a woman.

When he re-entered her house, case of beer in tow, she already had the DVD player set up and he could smell something coming from the kitchen. He slung the beer off his shoulder and placed it down on the coffee table before going to investigate.

Following his nose, he soon found the kitchen and rounded the corner just as the microwave beeped. He leaned against the door jamb, watching as Ace reached into it to grab whatever was inside, jumping back when she burned her hand.

"Ow! Motherfucker, that's hot!" she cried, sucking on the pad of her scalded thumb.

Daryl chuckled and she jumped again.

"Jesus, boy! What've I told you about sneakin' up on people?" she said, trying to be mad and failing miserably when a smile twisted her mouth.

"What you cookin'?" he asked, inclining his head towards the microwave as she grabbed a dish towel from the bench, wrapping her hand in it before making a second attempt at the food in the microwave.

"Popcorn." she explained. "Hid it at the back of the cupboard when Mitch moved in. Bastard loves popcorn. If he found it, I wouldn't get any."

As if on cue, they heard Mitch's voice float down the hallway.

"Do I smell popcorn?"

"Yeah, and it ain't for you!" Ace hollered back.

"Bitch!" came her big brother's voice again. "Whatever, go ahead and be selfish. I'm goin' to the bar!"

Daryl and Ace chuckled before heading back into the living room. Daryl settled himself on the recliner once more while Ace looked through her extensive DVD collection. She was distracted momentarily when her brother walked by behind her, slapping her on the ass as he went.

She looked up at him, mildly annoyed. He merely smirked and popped the collar of his worn leather jacket.

"Scared ya." he said smugly, one eyebrow raised.

Ace scoffed.

"Please. I could smell your damn cologne a mile away."

Mitch poked her tongue out at him and Daryl smiled to himself as he watched them banter playfully back and forth for a few more minutes. He liked seeing Ace interact with her brother. It was alien to him that they should get along so well. Daryl loved Merle like... Well, like a brother. But be damned if, at the end of the day, Merle didn't get on his last nerve. It was refreshing to meet two siblings who so obviously cared about one another.

After a while, Mitch finally left for the bar, bidding Daryl goodnight with a smile as he inclined his head. Daryl returned the gesture and turned back to Ace, who was examining her DVDs once more, bending over to the lower shelves now. Daryl took in the view and felt his pants tighten uncomfortably. He squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments, thinking about gutted deer and Merle's stink after the two of them had been out hunting for a few days. Anything to settle himself down.

"Any requests?" Ace asked finally.

Daryl's eyes snapped open, finally having calmed down enough to face her. He shrugged.

"Not really." he said non-commitally. "Whatever you feel like's okay."

She smiled and turned back to the shelves, grabbing a case down and crossing the room, popping the shiny disk into the DVD player. She then grabbed two beers out of the case on her coffee table, handed one to Daryl and sunk back down onto the couch, remote in hand. A comfortable silence remained between them as she pressed play.

* * *

Four hours, two movies and three beers each later, Daryl was now tipsy enough to have crawled onto the three seater sofa with Ace. He sat with his back against the armrest, one leg bent over the edge with the toe of his boot brushing the carpet, the other splayed out along the couch. Ace sat between them, her back pressed to his stomach and her head resting lightly on his chest. His arms were wrapped around her shoulders, another beer hanging limply from one hand while the other softly caressed her arm. They were both fixated on the movie, though for entirely different reasons.

"What is this shit?" Daryl asked finally, a sneer crossing his face.

"Boondock Saints. It's one of my favourites." Ace replied simply before cocking her head sideways to meet his eyes. "Why?"

"It sucks!" Daryl told her, gesticulating wildly towards the televsion with the hand that clutched his beer as a close-up of one of the main actors took over the screen. "I mean, look at this guy. Looks like an asshole!"

Ace turned her head back towards the TV and snorted quietly.

"Really? I think he looks kinda like you." she remarked with a cheeky smirk he couldn't see.

Daryl scoffed and gave her shoulders a gentle shake.

"Shut up." he told her playfully. "This movie still sucks."

She glanced up at him again, her eyebrows raised.

"You got somethin' better to do?" she enquired incredulously.

"Yeah." he replied. "This."

And, without any further ceremony, he bent his head and pressed his lips firmly against hers. Ace gasped against his mouth, taken by surprise. She had known he was tipsy and well on his way to drunk, but him making the first move was unexpected. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to stop him. Instead, she shifted her body without breaking their kiss so that her chest was flush against his. His arms tightened around her shoulders as he pulled her in closer, the kiss deepening as he forced her lips apart with his tongue.

She gladly let him in and responded fiercly, sucking his bottom lip into her mouth and nipping the sensitive flesh lightly, a swoosh of satisfaction running through her when she felt him shiver. She wanted to touch him, caress him the way she knew he liked, but his arms were still wrapped around her, effectively pinning hers to her sides. She began to struggle against him and, before too long, he caught on and relaxed his grip.

Her arms now free, she snaked one up behind his head, grabbing the back of his neck tightly and pulling him closer still. With the other, she inched his shirt up bit by bit, running her fingertips up and down the exposed skin of his stomach. It was scarred and imperfect, something she hadn't noticed last time, but she wasn't about to bring it up right at this moment. She broke their kiss, both of them gasping for air. Pulling herself up onto her knees between his legs, she quickly divested herself of her shirt, throwing it onto the coffee table and leaving herself in her simple white lace bra.

She heard his sharp intake of air as he lay beneath her, his eyes travelling over every exposed inch of her body. His hands found her hips and trailed lightly up and down her sides, sending shivers down her spine. Finally, he reached around behind her, pulling her down on him a little as he fumbled with the clasp on her bra. Getting frustrated after a few moments of being unable to remove the garment, he simply grabbed and pulled, smirking to himself when he heard the unmistakable tear of fabric.

If Ace had heard it, she didn't care. Her brown eyes were clouded with lust as she slipped the bra down her arms and discarded it to the side. She then gripped the hem of Daryl's shirt, and he raised his arms, arching his back off the couch slightly to help her pull it off. When she succeeded, he sat himself up all the way and pulled her body to his, her breasts level with his face. He cupped one of the perfect handfuls lightly, bringing it to his mouth. She gasped loudly when his skilled tongue found her nipple, throwing her head back as she allowed the feeling to take her over.

He took his time, lazily working his way from one rosy, peach coloured bud to the other, and then back again. By the time he detatched himself from her breasts and began kissing his way down her stomach, his hands gripping her hips tightly to hold her in place above him, she was a quivering mess, her breath coming out in uneven gasps.

"You like that?" he asked quietly, a smug grin on his face.

He watched as she nodded, the light from the television illuminating her face. The sun had long since gone down, and they hadn't bothered to turn on a light. It was fine by him. Somehow, his other senses felt heightened in the dark and every sound she made sounded ten times sexier, every touch made his skin burn.

"You want more?" he questioned her as his kisses reached the waistband of her shorts and he stopped, licking back up to her belly button.

"Yeah." she breathed, barely audible.

Grinning to himself once more, he removed his hands from her hips and deftly flicked the button on her shorts open with two fingers, easing the rugged cut-offs down her thighs without bothering to undo the zipper. The first thing he noticed was that she still hadn't put on underwear, which excited him. He ran a finger over her clit and she moaned loudly. With a chuckle, he placed one hand back on her hip to ensure she didn't fall. With the other, he parted her legs a little wider and slowly eased one finger inside of her.

He felt her muscles tense at the new contact and held still until she relaxed. He then began to move at a slow, almost torturous pace. Every couple of strokes, he would remove his finger completely and run it back up to her clit, revelling in the sound of her gasping and groaning as his did so. After a while, he picked up the pace and her breaths became short once more. He couldn't tell in the dark, but he guessed her cheeks were going redder and redder with every thrust of his hand, and the thought of it turned him on all the more.

He continued to move his finger into her, getting faster and going harder with each passing stroke. Before long, she glistened with sweat in the light of the television and she was bucking against his hand, his name slipping from her lips with each laboured breath. He knew she was on the edge now so, as much as it pained him to do so, he withdrew his finger. Before she had time to get mad, or say anything at all, for that matter, he lifted his hand and touched her lips with the same finger that had been inside her mere seconds beforehand, hoping he wasn't stepping over the line with this one.

He wasn't. With a sly chuckle, Ace opened her mouth, allowing him to slide his finger over her tongue. She sucked it clean and then gave him his hand back, smiling devilishly at him. Satisfied that she was okay with everything that had happened thus far, Daryl allowed the animal inside of him to take over again, grabbing her hips roughly and flipping them over so that she was on her back underneath him. He grabbed her shorts, which sat somewhere around her knees, and yanked them off altogether, tossing them to the side. He heard a thud and assumed she had kicked her boots off. His suspicions were confirmed when she wrapped her legs around his waist and he felt her feet brush his back.

Done with foreplay, he reached under her thighs to unzip himself. He pushed his jeans as far down his legs as he could, taking his throbbing erection in hand and lining himself up. The plan had been to ease himself in and take his time to get started, but she writhed under him and looked up.

"God, hurry up!" she demanded, her voice impatient.

He narrowed his blue eyes, her desperate tone stirring his desires even more.

"Say you want me." he told her in a low growl.

"I want you! Oh god, Daryl, I want you!"

All thoughts of slow and steady flew from his mind as he thrust forward, taking her at high speed. Her closed eyes flew open and her lips parted in a pleasurable scream, her legs tightening around his waist. He leaned forward over her, steadying himself with one hand on the back of the couch while he used the other to grab both her wrists and bring her arms up above her head. In the dim light, he could see her breasts bouncing with every thrust, and he bent his head to them once more, at the same time clasping her calloused hands, his equally rough fingers intertwining with hers.

He lifted his head from her nipple when he heard the telltale cursing start to fall from her lips, her head rolling from side to side.

"Tell me, baby." he growled at her, sweat dripping from his brow as he continued to go at her as hard, fast and deep as he could. "You know what I wanna hear."

She did.

"Oh god, Daryl!" she cried out, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm coming!"

"Ohhhh!" he groaned, his eyelids fluttering as he felt her clench around him.

He could feel his own oncoming peak building inside him, but held it back long enough for her to ride out her orgasm. In the back of his lust-and-alcohol-riddled mind, he was aware that, once again, they had been caught unprotected and coming inside her was a chance he wasn't prepared to take again. So, as soon as he felt her muscles relax, he jerked his hips back and quickly grabbed himself in an attempt to control his release.

"Uhn... Uhh!" he groaned as he gave himself a few final strokes to help his orgasm along.

His seed shot in an arc, splattering mostly on Ace's belly, although some made it as far as her breasts. His eyes were still shut tight as he continued to stroke himself, making sure every last drop was spent. When he was sure it was, he collapsed back against the armrest, waiting for the post-euphoric haze to leave his brain and for his breathing to return to normal.

"You okay?" he heard Ace ask from the other end of the couch, her voice shaky.

Still unable to speak, he nodded, hoping she would see the movement with the dull light coming from the television. He felt the couch shift as she moved, crawling up to where he lay and settling herself between his legs, her chest against his as she planted a deep kiss on his mouth, which he returned. He could feel his own juices being pressed into his skin, but now wasn't the moment to jump up and clean himself off. He was still recuperating, and laying with Ace after sex was nice. He wouldn't call it cuddling, by any stretch of the imagination. Cuddling came after love making and, although they definitely made something, it sure as hell wasn't love. So instead the pair just lay together, enjoying one another's company as they came down off their respective orgasmic highs.

"Damn." he breathed finally when enough blood had returned to his brain to enable speech. "I... that was... _wow!_"

Ace simply smiled into the crook of his neck as she felt his fingertips begin to caress her back. _Wow, indeed_, she thought. It dawned on her that, in many ways, Daryl was her perfect lover. Attentive, unselfish, vocal and willing to push the traditional boundaries. She'd sure struck lucky with this one. Who cared if he was a little stand-offish while sober?

They lay together in comfortable silence for several more minutes, which soon turned into a couple of hours. Daryl's breathing had begun to even out, and she could tell he was dropping off to sleep. As gently as she could, she extricated herself from his embrace and hauled herself up off the sofa. She stared down at him, grinning. Even in the dark, his sleeping form would be a shock to her poor brother if he were to walk in any time soon. The muscular man lay there on his back, still shirtless. His boots were still on his feet, and his jeans rested somewhere around his knees. Laughing to herself, she turned around and left the room, going to the linen closet in the hallway, where she retrieved an old blanket.

Coming back into the living room, she threw it over the lightly snoring Daryl and looked down at herself, realising that she was still naked. Bending down, she groped around the floor in the dark, finally coming up with Daryl's discarded shirt, which she slipped on over her head, the ratty, grease-stained garment falling almost to her knees as it swamped her slim, athletic frame. She considered beating a hasty retreat to her bedroom, but somehow she felt that those sorts of actions may brand her a bad host. So, giggling at the thought, she pushed Daryl further to the back of the couch and slipped back in beside him, pulling the blanket over herself and resting her head on his chest.

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she heard the front door open and raised her head slightly as she heard her brother's voice somewhere in the vicinity of the living room door.

"You in there, Ace?" he whispered.

Ace raised her head slightly, angling her face away from Daryl so that her reply wouldn't wake him.

"Yeah." she assured her big brother, hearing the unmistakable sound of his fingertips scrabbling around on the wall. "Don't turn on the light!"

The sound immediately stopped as Mitch picked up the meaning in her hurried words.

"Right. Sorry." he apologised. "Just thought I'd check in on you before I turned in."

Ace smiled to herself in the dark, kind of thankful to have her big brother there.

"Thanks." she replied, resting her head back on Daryl's chest as she stifled a yawn. "G'night."

She barely heard his reply as she slipped away into her dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thursday is here again, so have an update. It's another fairly long one this week, and we get to see some more of awkward Daryl, so I hope everyone enjoys that. I've been a little blocked with this story as of late, but I've written far enough ahead to be able to have some leeway with it and hopefully I'll be back on track by the time I catch up to myself. Anyway, for those who don't know, whenever I encounter writer's block on this story, I tend to pump out random oneshots. __**Next Door**__ and __**Fistfight at the Wafflehouse**__ are the most recent results of my block, so check those out and leave me your thoughts if you haven't already._

_Now, onto my reviewers! __**Scoobydoo0811, **__you have no idea how much I love writing Daryl as being all shy and awkward. He's just so much fun to play with! Absolutely irresistible! __**Leyshla Gisel, **__isn't that how everyone's Monday night goes? Hahaha! Glad you liked it, chick. I pretty much live for your reviews now. __**BellaBloodrayne, **__welcome to my shoutout section! I mentioned last week how much I love getting reviews from new readers when I'm this far in because it lets me know that my work is getting around and being appreciated, so thank you very muchly for both of your reviews, my darling. Good to hear that you're loving Ace, she's a really fun character to write. Big thanks also to my other first time reviewer __**zaii. **__I always love getting reviews for my smut scenes, because I'm really insecure about them, so your comment was a big help! And __**Guest,**__ you need to make an account so I can thank your gorgeous self by name! Really glad you're diggin' the OC and the many personalities of Daryl Dixon, haha! I've just reached the point in my writing (I'm a fair way ahead of where I've posted to) where I'm starting to steer them in either one direction or the other. You'll just have to wait and find out which!_

_Also, I feel the need to let you guys know that pretty much all my work is un-beta'd, so if there's typos and whatnot, that's why._

_Anyway, this was a ridiculously long Author's Note, so I'll leave you guys to it and y'all can leave me some love when you're done!_

**_I do not own Daryl or Merle Dixon, or any other characters you may recognise from AMC's The Walking Dead. The original characters and plotline are my own creation. Please respect that. Also, this fic is rated M for a reason._**

* * *

As soon as Daryl's blue eyes opened, his body tensed. The aching in his head told him that he was going to have a rather impressive hangover which, in turn, told him that he had woken up sober. Which was going to make the issue of the beautiful woman lying on his chest a problem.

Doing his best not to wake her, he grabbed the blanket that was draped over the two of them and lifted it gingerly away from his body, peering down beneath it. His face flushed as he realised he had not properly dressed himself after the events of the previous night. He worked his body around the sleeping Ace until his hands were gripping the waistband of his jeans, which he slowly eased up he thighs, lifting his backside to get them sitting back on his hips where they belonged. He sat up as much as he could and scanned the floor. No sign of his shirt.

Sighing to himself, he let his head flop back against the armrest, his hands pressed over his blue eyes. Beside him, Ace stirred but remained asleep. As she turned onto her other side, a familiar flash of plaid caught his eye and he couldn't help but smirk to himself. She _did_ look damn fine in his shirts.

He placed a hand gently on her shoulder and began shaking her awake. He knew it would make his sober situation a whole lot more awkward, but he was pressed against the very back of the couch. If he didn't move her, he wouldn't be able to get up at all.

Ace stirred again and frowned,wrenching her shoulder away from the unwanted disturbance as a groan escaped her lips. Daryl laughed.

"Hey." he said a little louder than he needed to as he gave her shoulder another light shove. "Wake up."

"Don't wanna!" she whined childishly, nuzzling her face further into his chest.

He laughed and gave her one last gentle shove.

"Come on." he pleaded with her. "You don't get up now, I'm pushin' your ass off."

Grudgingly, Ace cracked one brown eye open and looked up at him, scowling.

"You're an asshole." she told him, her voice raspy.

He watched as she pushed the blankets away from herself and rolled onto her back, stretching her body out with a long, satisfied groan. He quickly bit his lip and looked away when he noticed how his shirt rose up her legs when she moved.

"Where you gotta go in such a hurry, anyway?" she asked, still not moving to allow him off the couch.

"Home." he told her simply as he made to climb over her. "If I don't get there soon, Merle'll-"

"Ah, fuck him." she cut him off, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him down on top of her with a sly grin.

Daryl blushed at the sudden contact with her body. She had snaked her arms around his neck and was planting light kisses up his neck, all the way to his earlobe, stopping when she felt his whole body stiffen.

"Sober, huh?" she asked, disappointment evident in her voice.

Unable to form words around his humiliation, Daryl simply nodded. Ace sighed and pushed him off her so that he was straddling her thighs. She pulled herself up into a sitting position and extricated her legs from beneath his, being careful not to land a knee or a foot in his most sensitive area. She swung herself around, her feet coming into contact with the shag carpet.

"I guess we should get ready and head down to the garage, then." she said bending down to gather her discarded clothes.

Daryl nodded again.

"Sorry." he choked out, his cheeks filling with colour again when she looked around at him, an understanding smile on her face.

"It's fine." she assured him. "Guess I just gotta get you drunker next time if I want some in the morning."

She slid yesterday's underwear up her legs, standing up to shift them over her hindquarters. Daryl, at eye level with her rear end, stole a sneaky glance as he always did whenever the opportunity arose.

She retrieved her bra from the coffee table and examined the straps, noticing that the clasp was ripped wide open, the little hooks bent out of shape and completely useless. She scoffed and tossed the lacy garment at the man on her sofa.

"You gotta stop breakin' my underwear." she told him with a smirk. "Or else you're gonna have to buy me some more."

Daryl chuckled quietly, looking at anything but her as she divested herself of his shirt and tossed it over her shoulder, letting it hang around her neck. It made Ace smile and shake her head disbelievingly. The man who, when riled up and ready to go, could tear her underwear off her, satisfy her each and every physical need and leave her breathless and quivering beneath him when he was done, was sitting on her sofa, meek, mild and quiet as a little dormouse. It was an amusing thought, although it made her kind of sad that Daryl's opinion of himself was obviously that low.

"Y'know what?" she asked, standing up straight and dropping the rest of her clothes on the floor. "Screw this. I'm takin' a shower."

Daryl simply stayed put on the couch and nodded as she headed towards the door in just her underwear.

"Can I have my shirt back?" he called after her just before she disappeared into the hallway.

She glanced back over her shoulder, hand clasping at the worn plaid shirt around her neck. Here face took on a devilish quality and she shot him a wink.

"You want it? Come get it."

And then she was gone.

Daryl sighed and ran a hand through his hair, her words replaying in his head. She wanted him to join her. _In the fucking shower._ Drunk Daryl would've been all over it, but it was much more than he could handle in his present state. Shaking his head, he cursed himself under his breath and leaned back into the couch.

"You alright, man?"

Daryl shot back into an upright position, his heart racing from the fright he'd just received. Glancing at the door, he found Mitch's head poking into the room. Slowly, he nodded.

"Yeah." he answered.

Mitch gave him a smile and stepped into the room completely, walking over to collapse into one of his sister's worn old recliners.

"Didn't really get too much of a chance to talk the other night." the older man said, surveying Daryl with interest. "Daryl, right?"

The man in question nodded, regarding Mitch with a wary eye. He didn't come off as stupid. The guy had to know that Daryl was sleeping with his sister. He wasn't sure of what kind of man Mitch was, but Daryl certainly knew what _he_ would do if he had a sister and woke up to find a semi clothed man in her house.

"Relax, man." Mitch implored, seemingly reading his thoughts. "If I was gonna punch your head in, I woulda done it already."

Daryl was silent for a moment, thinking it over.

"So you're okay with it?" he asked finally.

Mitch shrugged.

"Why not? Ace is a big girl. Hell, even as a teenager I couldn't tell her what to do. She does as she damn well pleases. Always has."

Silence fell between the two men once more.

"Where's your shirt?" Mitch asked after a few moments.

Daryl couldn't suppress a chuckle as he glanced down at his bare chest.

"Your sister's holdin' it hostage." he replied, glancing at the older man with raised eyebrows.

Mitch's face split into a grin.

"Sounds like her." he said fondly. "She's a wild one."

"You got that right." Daryl agreed, the welts her fingernails had left on his back tingling at the thought. "She always been like that?"

Mitch smiled and nodded, propping his bare feet up on the coffee table.

"Yup." he confirmed, his eyes twinkling with untold stories. "Though nowhere near as angry as she was when I last saw her."

Daryl cocked an eyebrow.

"Angry, huh?" he asked, his interest piqued.

Mitch merely nodded, a faraway look in his brown eyes.

"I remember when she was a kid, man, she'd get so pissed of... She'd storm around the house for days, pickin' fights with the rest of us just 'cause she wanted someone to scream at her." he reminisced. "And I'll never forget the first time I had to go post bail after she got in a fight."

Daryl laughed.

"Bail, huh?" he asked, enjoying this insight into Ace's past. "That serious?"

"Yeah, it was her junior prom. Some asshole tried gettin' fresh in the bathroom, wasn't havin' none of it when she said no. So, when he went in for a kiss, she grabbed the back of his head, slammed it into a sink. Kid broke his nose on the faucet, busted up his eye socket pretty bad. School principal comes rushin' in, there's blood everywhere, this poor asshole's on the floor cryin' and there's Ace. Standin' over him, stiletto in his back, prom dress all covered in blood..."

Daryl laughed as Mitch trailed off.

"Jesus." he commented. "So our girl's gotta temper, huh?"

"Did have." Mitch corrected him. "Ain't seen much of it since I been here, though that ain't been long. Gotta be better than she was, though, 'cause blowin' up used to be a daily thing with her."

"You assholes talkin' about me?"

Both men turned in their seats to find Ace standing in the door, hands on her hips. Her still damp hair was piled haphazardly on top of her head, held in place with a rubber band. Her bottom half wore her typical work uniform: worn out old biker boots and frayed, patched denim cut-offs that clung to her curves like a second skin. On her top half however...

"Is that my shirt?" Daryl demanded, his eyes narrowing.

Ace laughed and glanced down at herself. It was indeed Daryl's shirt. Far too big for her, it hung down at the sides under the arms, displaying her bra. Black lace today, Daryl noted. She had buttoned only four of the buttons and tied the rest of the shirt in a large knot under her breasts, leaving cleavage and toned, flat belly on show.

Daryl swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

"No." she answered his question finally, a cheeky grin playing on her lips. "It's _my_ shirt."

He laughed as she walked over and collapsed heavily onto the couch next to him.

"You want anything before we head to work?" she asked him, ignoring the way he tensed when she threw an arm around his shoulders. "Coffee? Beer?"

He shot her a sidelong glance, eyebrow cocked.

"It's eight in the morning." he pointed out.

Ace shrugged.

"Five o'clock somewhere, right?"

Mitch laughed at the little exchange between the two of them, wondering how the hell Ace managed to get this man's clothes off at all. The older man could tell that Daryl was awkward just from looking at the way he interacted with the woman beside him.

"I'm good." he replied, gazing at the carpet as he shook his head, a small smile on his face.

He rose from his seat on the sofa, adjusting the waist of his jeans before glancing expectantly at Ace, who motioned towards the door with her head. He passed in front of her and opened it, stepping out onto the porch and pausing with his hand on the doorknob as she said goodbye to her brother and followed Daryl out of the house.

"You wanna ride?" he asked her as they crossed her front lawn to the driveway, each walking in perfect step with the other.

"Depends." Ace replied. "You feel like givin' me a ride home again tonight?"

Daryl merely shrugged as he felt the one-sided tension between them begin to dissipate, Ace starting to fall back into the 'one-of-the-guys' category in his mind.

"Don't bother me none." he assured her, earning a smile.

"Then sure." she told him, pausing by his truck as he opened the passenger side door for her, allowing her to hoist herself up into the seat.

Although he tried to stop himself, his blue eyes locked onto her behind as soon as it passed his face. Hmm. Maybe not _entirely_ one of the boys, he thought as he fought to keep the blush out of his cheeks. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he pushed the door shut and made his way around to the driver's side, climbing into the seat with far less grace than his companion and starting the ignition.

"So did you guys get that truck fixed?" Ace asked as they drove down her potholed street, not missing the way Daryl's eyes followed the bouncing of her breasts with every bump they hit.

She had to fight back a chuckle. _Boys will be boys..._

"Yeah." Daryl confirmed. "Starter blew up. Pretty easy to fix. Lucky we had the right part layin' around, too."

Ace nodded and returned her attention to the road in front of them, watching the dusty streets fly past them as they neared the Dixon's garage. She knew Daryl must be feeling a little weird right now. Hell, she could practically see the poor guy sweating. How the hell could a grown man (especially one who looked like Daryl Dixon) be so damn insecure around women?

She didn't have time to dwell on it though, for they were now pulling up in the driveway of the house Daryl and Merle shared. The heavy roller doors on the garage were already open, and Merle was standing by an old Chevy with it's hood popped, his friend Johnnie beside him.

Ace and Daryl jumped out of the truck and made their way inside, Ace dropping her bag on a workbench before joining the three men in front of the Chevy.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" she asked, directing her question at Merle.

"Johnnie's bike needs lookin' at again." the older Dixon told her, nodding at the shorter man beside him, who shot Ace a smile.

"She ain't startin'." he informed the motorcycle mechanic. "Think you can work your magic on it for me, darlin'?"

Ace resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him as she headed over to her bay to examine the bike. Southern men and their _goddamn nicknames!_ She'd lived in the south her whole life, but it was something she'd never get used to.

She could feel three sets of eyes burning into her back as she circled the bike, her mind ticking.

"Can ya help me out anymore other than 'it ain't startin'?" she asked, glancing over at Johnnie.

The portly man shrugged, readjusting the off-white trucker cap on his head.

"Sorry, sweetheart." he said. "I just ride it. Fixin' it's your job."

She scoffed and flipped Johnnie the bird before turning back to his bike._Well_, she decided, _old habits die hard. May as well check it out before I go pullin' the whole thing apart again._

She stopped circling, her fingers finding the cap on the gas tank, unscrewing it swiftly and pulling it open. She bent down, holding her hair away from her face as she sniffed at the tank, standing back quickly with her nose wrinkled a few seconds later.

"Well, there's your problem." she said, turning back to the men watching her as she fought to keep the smirk off her face.

Johnnie's cheeks filled with colour as he frowned.

"It ain't been pissed in again!?" he cried, outraged.

Ace couldn't help but smile a little as she saw Merle roll his eyes and slap a hand over her face while, behind him, Daryl bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"Yup." she confirmed. "Sorry buddy. I know this chrome cap probably matches your purse and all, but I really think you should start considerin' one with a lock, just like I told you last time."

If possible, Jonnie's face went even redder as both Dixons burst out laughing, Daryl falling back against the side of the Chevy while Merle slapped Johnnie on the back.

"Damn Johnnie, maybe the girl's right." he spoke through his laughter.

Ace smiled as she crossed the floor back to where the men stood, wiping her fingers off on a rag as she went. Taking pity on the unfortunate man, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't ya head on home Johnnie?" she asked him, still smiling. "I'll flush this thing out and call you when I'm done."

Still red in the face, Johnnie nodded. Beside him, Merle took a deep breath to regain his composure after his laughing fit.

"Come on, boy." he called over his shoulder as he headed towards the door. "I'll give your ass a ride home."

Daryl tossed Merle the keys to his truck and watched with Ace as they backed out of the drive. When the truck was out of sight, Ace sighed and shook her head, smirking as she crossed to the bar fridge in the back.

"You want one?" she called over her shoulder to Daryl.

"Yeah, why the hell not?" he answered, walking up behind her and accepting the Bud she placed in his hand, popping the top and taking a long swig.

Ace smiled as she watched him cross back to the Chevy in his bay. He was always a lot easier around her at work. She suspected it was because here, they could talk cars and bikes and trucks and screw around with Merle and he could pretend that she was just another guy. Although sometimes, when she was bent over working on a bike, she'd catch him staring.

"So what's wrong with it?" she asked, nodding to the Chevy as she leaned against the workbench next to the fridge, sipping her beer.

"Just needs a service." he informed her as he slid a drip tray underneath the engine bay and reached in to unscrew the sump plug, the gluggy sound of old oil rushing from the taknk filling the garage.

She nodded slowly, placing her beer down on the bench and heading back into her own bay, where she set to work removing the gas tank from Johnnie's bike. She and Daryl worked in companionable silence for the better part of an hour, Ace finishin with Johnnie's bike and reassuming her spot next to the fridge, beer in hand as she watched Daryl work.

"Need a hand?" she asked finally.

"Nah, almost done." he replied as he tipped some new oil in. "Why? You bored?"

She shrugged.

"A little." she admitted. "I got nothin' else to do 'til Merle gets back."

"Yeah, he's takin' his sweet ass time." Daryl agreed, standing up straight and using his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow, leaving a nice oil stain in it's place.

"Probably just havin' a few beers." Ace pointed out. "You know Merle."

"Can't turn down a free drink." Daryl supplied with a nod and a smirk.

He turned back to the Chevy and pulled the hood down, letting it fall into place with a _bang_ that echoed through the garage. He faced Ace once again, pulling a rag out of his back pocket to wipe his hands.

"Looks like we got some time to kill." he told her. "What you wanna do?"

Ace's face split into a devilish grin, her eyes narrowing over the top of her beer.

"I got a few ideas." she told him, her voice low. "But somethin' tells me you ain't had enough to drink yet."

Daryl looked away, blushing.

"Damn it, woman. Don't do that to me here." he muttered.

Ace laughed and shook her head, placing her beer back down on the benchtop and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You gotta better idea?" she asked him, eyebrow cocked.

Daryl didn't answer, instead coming to where she stood and opening the fridge, retrieving another beer. He popped the top and proceeded to down almost half of it in one go. Ace watched, an amused look on her face as he took a couple more swigs before placing the bottle down on the bench beside hers, almost empty.

"Inside." he said simply, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him as he made his way out of the garage and up to the front steps of the house.

Ace was surprised, to say the least. She followed him regardless, suspecting that this was more for her benefit than anything else. He'd barely had two beers. Nowhere near enough for him to be this confident, which was confirmed by the pink still staining his cheeks as he opened the front door and pushed her inside in front of him.

"Hey." she said quickly as he steered her into the kitchen. "Daryl, I was just playin'. We don't gotta do this if you don't wanna."

"Just shut up." he told her as he grasped her hips and picked her up, placing her on the bench and stepping between her thighs.

"But-"

"But nothin'." he cut her off, not looking at her as he untied the knot in the front of her shirt and crept his hands under it. "Feel bad enough for this mornin' as it is. Shut up and let me do this for ya."

Ace opened her mouth to protest again, wanting to tell him that she really hadn't minded his standoffish behaviour in her living room earlier that day, but was quickly cut off again as Daryl's mouth covered hers, his tongue slipping between her parted lips as his hands kneaded her breasts through her bra.

_Oh well_, she thought. _May as well go with it._

She began to kiss him back feverishly as his hands dragged down her sides and to the front of the waistband of her shorts. He hooked his fingers in and she lifted her ass off the counter just enough for him to be able to slide them down her legs without bothering to open the fly. Her own fingers found his belt buckle, and she expertly slid it open and popped the button on his jeans, allowing them to fall in a puddle at his feet.

He cupped her through her underwear to test her readiness and, when he felt the moist heat on his fingers, he used one hand to push his boxers down and the other to push her panties to the side. Her angle on the bench allowed him to slide in effortlessly, and she moaned into his mouth, wrapping her legs firmly around his waist as he began to thrust against her.

This was not like the last two times they had been together. Those times, he had been bold, vocal and explorative. Now, however, he kept his mouth pressed to hers and his eyes squeezed shut, his breathing coming heavily through his nose as his peak built inside him. Ace put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in closer. Even in this intimate situation, she could tell he was nervous by just how tense his body was. His hands held hard to her hips, leaving the beginnings of some spectacular bruises.

She felt the edge rapidly approaching as he thrust against her harder, grunting against her lips with every movement. She pulled away from their kiss finally, gasping for air.

"Daryl!" she cried, her eyes falling closed as her orgasm took her over completely.

He didn't reply. Instead, he pressed his face into her shoulder and bit his bottom lip, picking up his pace again, slamming home repeatedly as he felt her tighten around him like a vice. With one more push and an animalistic groan, he spilled inside her.

The air in the tiny kitchen was heavy and stank of sweat and sex. Daryl slowly withdrew his rapidly softening self from the warm embrace of Ace's body, his breathing still rapid and uneven. Still not looking at her, he knelt to the floor and grabbed her shorts, tossing them to her before pulling his jeans back up and buckling his belt.

A few moments passed in silence before he finally built up the courage to look at her. She was fully clothed again, her cheeks still pink from her orgasm and her chest heaving slightly. Her brown eyes, however, were uncertain as she surveyed him.

He blushed and looked away again.

"Sorry." he mumbled finally, knowing he'd fucked up somehow.

Ace exhaled through her nose and pushed herself forward off the bench, walking over to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Ya got nothin' to be sorry for." she assured him soothingly, rubbing his upper arm. "But next time, don't feel like you have to do somethin' you ain't entirely comfortable with just to make me happy. I honestly didn't care that you were too sober to do anything when we woke up. You didn't need to do this."

He shrugged, still not looking at her. Ace sighed and moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his middle and gazing up at his face, which was turned away from her.

"Hey." she called softly.

Finally, he turned his head and glanced down at her. She gave him a smile and pressed her lips to his, feeling him tense again, but he still returned the kiss, tilting his head slightly and parting his lips when he felt her tongue sweep out against them. His hands found their way to her waist, and he seemed to relax a little.

She drew back and smiled up at him again.

"See? Not so bad." she told him. "Just stop stressin'. We're gonna work on this, okay?"

He gave a quiet chuckle and a small lopsided smile as he nodded, one of his hands venturing down and giving her ass a squeeze, making her giggle.

"You're gettin' the hang of it already." she told him.

Daryl laughed again and opened his mouth to reply, but quickly closed it again when they heard the truck crunch into the driveway.

"Shit." he spoke. "That'll be Merle. Make yourself decent, I'll go out and head him off before he comes in here lookin' for us."

Ace nodded as she released him. He left the house quickly, leaving her to right herself. She swiftly tied Daryl's shirt back into a knot under her breasts and then grabbed the toaster, fixing her hair in the reflective metal on the side of it. To her eyes, she still looked thoroughly sexed, although she was hoping Merle wouldn't pick up on it. She always looked a little bit of a mess at work, so some slightly tousled sex hair and sweat slicked skin wasn't going to make too much of a difference.

Setting the appliance back down, she took a deep breath before heading back to the garage. Merle and Daryl were leaning against one of the workbenches, each nursing a beer. Merle turned his head when he heard her approach, Daryl throwing her a sneaky wink over his brother's shoulder. Ace fought back her grin as Merle addressed her.

"Where you been?" he asked, skipping the greetings.

She rolled her eyes convincingly.

"Bathroom." she lied as she grabbed another beer out of the fridge before pulling herself up to sit on the bench beside Daryl.

Merle stood before them, surveying the pair suspiciously, his eyes taking in everything. Ace's mussed up hair and the slight pink flush in her cheeks. The way Daryl's shirt was half tucked into his jeans and one side of his collar was popped.

"Aw, bullshit!" the older Dixon exclaimed finally, his face splitting into a lecherous grin. "Y'all were fuckin'!"

Daryl went red once again, and Ace scoffed as she brought her beer to her lips.

"Yeah, you caught us Merle." she said with another roll of her eyes.

No point in denying it now.

Merle cackled and slapped his younger brother on the shoulder.

"Well, shit." he said, still smirking. "I gotta worry about this every damn time I leave now?"

"Just shut up, Merle." Daryl spat, the tips of his ears flaming. "What we do ain't none of your damn business."

Merle cocked an eyebrow.

"It is when it happens on my time." he pointed out. "Y'all is here to work, not screw eachother senseless all over the damn place. You finish with May's Chevy?"

Daryl nodded.

"And you?" he continued, turning his gaze on Ace. "You clean out Johnnie's tank?"

"Yeah." she confirmed. "We're all done. We weren't shirkin' our responsibilities or whatever, so shut the fuck up."

Merle sighed and shrugged.

"Whatever." he said, fast losing interest in the conversation. "Ain't mad. Hell, it's nice to see my baby brother gettin' some! Just gotta make sure this ain't gonna be interferin' with your work and shit."

"It ain't." Ace assured him, pushing herself off the bench and heading back out of the garage, beer still clutched tightly in her hand.

Daryl sighed and rubbed a hand over his face before balling it into a fist and punching his older brother in the arm.

"Damn it, Merle!" he exclaimed. "Why can't you ever just shut the hell up!?"

Merle looked over at his brother, rubbing the sore spot on his arm where Daryl's fist had landed.

"What the hell is goin' on with you two, anyway?" he asked, his eyebrow cocked as he surveyed his brother curiously.

Daryl shrugged.

"Nothin'." he answered honestly. "We're friends."

He turned away and headed into Merle's office, the man in question following close behind him.

"Friends who fuck?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Daryl confirmed, not looking at his brother as he collapsed into one of the chairs around the messy, ancient desk.

"Does she know that?"

Finally, Daryl glanced up, his blue eyes narrowed at the accusing tone in his brother's voice. He sounded, dare he say it, almost _concerned_.

"Was her idea." Daryl informed him. "She ain't lookin' for a man, I ain't lookin' for a woman... Just easy for both of us. Why d'you care, anyway?"

"'Cause she's a fuckin' good mechanic." Merle responded, surprising Daryl. "Gonna be tough to replace when you inevitably fuck it up."

Daryl scowled up at Merle.

"Ain't nothin' to fuck up." he insisted.

Merle scoffed.

"So she says now, but she's a woman." he announced. "And they're all the fuckin' same, Daryl. Day'll come when the fuckin' ain't enough. She'll start expecting somethin' else. _More_."

Daryl shook his head.

"Ace ain't like that."

Merle sighed and shook his head.

"Whatever you say, baby brother." he told him as he turned to head back out the door. "I'll be there to say I told you so."


	8. Chapter 8

_Alright, so I know this one is really short, but unfortunately I have some sort of bad news. My updates for the next little while may be a bit sporadic as my marriage ended this past weekend and I currently find myself homeless, so I'm going to do the best I can with this story still, it just may not be as good as I've been doing. Really hope you guys stick around though! I'm not done with Ace and Daryl yet!_

_And now for my reviewers! __**HaloHunter89, **__Merle's a dick. Maybe not as big a dick as he was in the show, but still a dick nonetheless. It's to be expected that he has to go around bursting his baby brother's bubble. And, for Ace, bringing Daryl out of his shell is very much a 'two steps forward, one step back' kind of routine, but we will be seeing him becoming less and less awkward as we go on. __**Leyshla Gisel, **__isn't that always the way it happens? Friends with benefits don't ever seem to stay that way very long. They either end up dating eachother or hating eachother. Need to make up my mind which direction I'm taking Daryl and Ace in! __**BellaBloodrayne, **__in a very vague answer to your question, I'll say this; they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'll bet that, in Daryl's case, it works on other body parts too. Just have to wait and see! And, last but not least, __**zaii. **__Awkward Daryl is amazing to write, he's so insufferably adorable! As for more oneshots, I'll have to see how I go with my current situation but I;ll definitely do my best._

**_I do not own Daryl or Merle Dixon, or any other characters you may recognise from AMC's The Walking Dead. The original characters and plotline are my own creation. Please respect that. Also, this fic is rated M for a reason._**

* * *

"Long day?"

Ace sighed as she dropped her bag and kicked her shoes off at the door, her brother sitting on the sofa with a beer in one hand and the remote in the other.

"You could say that." she replied, dropping down into a recliner and closing her eyes.

The day had been kind of weird. For the most part, she and Daryl had gone back to the way they usually were at work, but there was a new undercurrent to their interactions. He was being careful around her. Watching his words. Not touching her more than was necessary, and never in Merle's presence. She suspected that the older Dixon had said something to his little brother that had set his brain in motion. Whatever it was, it was making things a little awkward for her. She was hoping to see him tonight at the bar, where she would be able to corner him away from Merle when he went to the bathroom or out for a cigarette. She needed him to know that nothing between them had to change.

"Wanna talk about it?" Mitch asked his younger sister, looking away from the television finally.

Ace was silent for a moment before heaving another almighty sigh and glancing over at her big brother.

"I think I fucked up." she told him.

Mitch cocked an eyebrow.

"Care to elaborate?"

"What kinda impression d'you get from Daryl?" she asked him, ignoring his question.

Mitch shrugged, taken slightly aback.

"I dunno." he told her. "Seems quiet. A little shy, especially around you. Why?"

Ace grimaced.

"He... he's really self-conscious." she began, unsure where she was going with this. "I mean, unless he's drunk, he can't really..."

She trailed off uncertainly, hoping her brother would get the gist so she wouldn't have to say it out loud.

"Can't really what? Get it up?" Mitch pressed.

Ace shook her head hurriedly.

"No, he can do that just fine." she assured him. "He's just too damn shy to do anythin' with it."

"Ah." Mitch nodded understandingly. "Okay, I got ya. Go on."

"Today, I... Merle was gone, and we had nothin' to do, so I made a joke." she told her brother. "Y'know, like 'hey I know what we can do while we wait' kinda thing. He... may have took it a little too seriously, and now I feel like I... I don't even know. Forced it on him?"

Mitch laughed and took a swig of his beer, muting the television before he replied.

"So you're basically sayin' you raped the poor guy in the garage?" he asked, still grinning.

Ace scowled and tossed a coaster at him.

"Kitchen, asshole." she corrected him. "And you ain't helpin'. Anyway, _he_was the one who dragged _me_ inside!"

"And what? You could tell he wasn't into it?"

Ace sighed as her brain ticked.

"No, he was." she assured her brother. "Just... real nervous. Couldn't look at me."

Mitch sighed and set his beer down on the coffee table, leaning forwards and grasping his sister's foot.

"So talk to him." he told her, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What you worryin' for anyway? Thought it wasn't serious."

"It ain't, but we're still friends!" Ace told her brother heatedly. "And don't you think I talked to him already?"

Mitch sat back, his hands raised in surrender.

"Jesus!" he cried. "Sorry! I don't know then, Ace."

She sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"No, it's fine." she assured him. "Sorry I freaked out. You goin' to the bar tonight?"

Mitch's face split into a grin once more.

"Course I am." he confirmed. "Meetin' Mandy."

He added a lewd wink for good measure, and Ace laughed.

"Oh, god!" she cried with a chuckle. "I'm not gonna have you two fuckin' like bunnies all over my damn house, am I?"

Mitch wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Maybe." he told her cheekily. "Maybe you should stay at Daryl's tonight."

"Was probably gonna anyway." she replied. "If he's not still weird about today."

The siblings wiled away another thirty minutes chatting idly during the commercials of Monster Garage, a show both of them had used to watch together religiously before Mitch had moved out. It was great, finally having her brother back. They'd always been close, and she enjoyed having that feeling back.

Finally, Ace got up and retreated to her room to change. The nights were getting colder, so she swapped her shorts out for her favourite torn jeans and threw on her leather jacket over Daryl's shirt. She swiped on some lipgloss and returned to the living room to find her brother standing by the door, keys in hand.

"You ready?"

"Let's roll."

The two of them left the house and climbed into Mitch's truck, settling in for the short drive to the bar. When they got there, the regular crowd had already started arriving, so Mitch parked a little way up the road and then helped his sister out of the truck before the two of them set off for the bar.

It was warm inside, so Ace shed her jacket immediately, her brown eyes scanning the bar for a familiar face. She spotted Merle and Daryl and a few of the boys at a table in the corner, so she bid her brother farewell and headed over to join them.

"Hey, there she is!" Merle called when he saw her approaching, everyone at the table turning in her direction.

She smiled as she pulled out a chair between Merle and Russ, directly across from Daryl. The table was littered with empty bottles already as she signalled Sammy to bring her usual, and she felt a boot-clad foot brush her leg beneath it.

One look at Daryl and the drunken smirk on his face told her it was him. She returned the pressure with a secret smile, thanking Sammy as he set a glass of whiskey in front of her.

She talked and joked with the boys for a while, having one, two then three glasses of whiskey before switching it up and ordering a round of beers and a round of shots for the whole table. All the while, she and Daryl continued with their childish game of footsie underneath it. She smiled at him over the rim of her glass as she crept her foot higher and higher up his leg until, eventually, it was resting lighly on his crotch.

Daryl kept his smirk hidden behind one hand as he slipped the other down into his lap, removing her foot and letting it drop back to the floor. He then stood up, announced to the table that he was going out for a smoke and left through the front door.

Ace gave him a minute or two, hanging around long enough to finish her drink before excusing herself to join him. Merle gave her a knowing grin but, surprisingly, said nothing as she wound her way through the bar and out the door.

She found Daryl in the alley down the side of the bar, lit cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Hey." she said as she walked up to him, swinging her jacket back around her shoulders as she shivered against the cold.

"Hey yourself." he replied, leaning back against the wall, barely visible in the dim light.

He held out his packet of Marlboros for her, allowing her to draw one out and press it between her lips. He brought out a light, and she leaned into it.

"Thanks." she said, standing up straight with her cigarette lit as he flicked the lighter closed and stuffed it back into his pocket.

They stood in comfortable silence for a moment, each drawing contentedly on their smokes in the cold night air.

"So listen." Ace said finally, dropping the butt to the ground when she was done and grinding out the cherry with the heel of her boot. "About today-"

"It's fine." Daryl cut her off hastily, reached out to grab her hand and pull her in next to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I know I'm an awkward piece of shit when I ain't been drinkin', but we'll work on it just like you said."

Ace smiled, reassured. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling him press a light kiss to the top of her head.

"Just gotta go easy on me." he continued softly, his fingertips lightly caressing her upper arm.

She nodded wordlessly, enjoying the comfort of their closeness for a moment. When she felt his hand move from her arm to her waist, however, she allowed her desire to resurface.

Spinning around in his embrace, she pressed his back to the wall and captured his lips with hers, pushing her body flush against him. He returned the kiss feverishly, his hands snaking under her jacket to grip her waist tightly as their tongues battled for dominance.

She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his jeans, an idea sneaking into her head that made her break their kiss and shoot him an impish grin. Slowly, she worked his belt buckle, the sound of metal clicking against metal filling the alley for a moment until she succeeded in getting it undone. She then popped his button, pulled down his zipper and dropped to her knees in front of him.

Daryl looked confused for a moment, but his eyes clouded over with lust as he realised what she was doing when she reached into the warmth of his boxers, drawing him out into the air at half-mast. She glanced up at him and smirked as he buried a hand in her hair. Looking back to the task in front of her, she darted her tongue out across the head of his cock, the light sensation making him shiver and groan.

She leaned forward, pressing sloppy kisses up his shaft, chuckling against him as his fingers tightened in her hair and his hips bucked forward, begging for her full attention. She brought one hand up to cup his balls while the other gripped the base of his dick. She swirled her tongue around the head a couple of times before finally giving in and enveloping the length of him in the warm wetness of her mouth.

"Ohhh." he groaned above her, his voice half an octave higher than usual as he gathered her hair into a rough ponytail, guiding her head as she sucked him.

She moved her mouth along him, using her hand at the base to work what wasn't in her mouth for a few moments before dropping it away altogether, hollowing her cheeks and swallowing him all the way down.

"_Shit!_" he hissed above her as he felt himself hit the back of her throat. "Oh, yeah baby, that's right. Just like that. Mmm, _fuck!_"

He got an idea of the effect his words were having when she groaned around him, sending vibrations throughout his body that brought him that much closer to the edge. He was beginning to think that nothing could possibly feel better when, after taking him all the way down her throat, she flicked her tongue out at the bottom and swiped it across his balls.

He threw his head back against the wall, his eyes squeezing shut while his mouth dropped open, the hand in her hair tugging hard.

"Again." he demanded. "Fuck, do that again."

She obliged him another three or four times, feeling his balls tighten under her tongue with every stroke. She knew he was getting close.

"Shit baby, I ain't gonna last much longer." he breathed above her, confirming what she already knew.

She moaned around him again as she swiped her tongue out against his balls one last time, sending him flying off the edge.

"Oh god, _fuck!_" he cried as his hips jerked forward, coming in spurts down her throat. She kept her head bobbing as she took all he could give, a little bit of saliva and Daryl seeping out of the corner of her mouth and down her chin.

When his rigid body slackened, his back falling against the wall as his chest heaved, she took him out of her mouth with a _pop_, tucked him back into his boxers, did up his fly and refastened his belt for him before getting up off her knees and leaning herself against him.

"_Fuck._" he breathed again, looking over at her through hooded eyes. "Where the hell _you_ been all my life?"

She giggled and wiped her mouth before pressing it to his cheek. He turned his head into the kiss, tasting himself on her as he swiped his tongue over her lips.

They were just beginning to get back into it when they were interrupted by an all too familiar voice.

"Ace?"

She whipped her head towards the end of the alley that led back to the bar, only to find her brother and Mandy standing there, looking at the two of them with amused expressions.

"Like sister, like brother, I see." Mandy drawled, shooting her friend a grin. "We had the same idea."

Ace chuckled and squeezed Daryl's arm.

"Guess you and I should head back inside." she told him with a smirk. "We're hoggin' up the alley."

Daryl chuckled and nodded, smiling at Mandy and sending a nod at Mitch as they passed. They re-entered the warmth of the bar, making their way back over to their table.

"Y'all were gone an awful long time." Merle commented immediately, slipping in a lewd wink for good measure.

"Screw off, Merle." Ace shot back good-naturedly, flipping him the bird as Daryl pulled her chair out for her, earning him a pointed look from his brother.

"What happened to 'friends who fuck'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger Dixon as he resumed his place across from Ace.

Daryl shrugged.

"That's what we are." he replied before turning to Ace. "Ain't it?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Didn't realise that involved you goin' 'round pullin' her chairs out and shit." Merle teased, Ace able to smell the alcohol on his breath.

She slapped him lightly on the arm.

"He's bein' a gentleman, asshole!" she told him, scowling. "Now shut the fuck up and buy me a drink."

The boys laughed, and Merle chuckled as he raised an eyebrow at his employee and signalled Sammy over.

"Another whiskey for the lady, Sammy." he told the bartender. "Put it on my tab."

When Sammy had left, Merle turned back to Ace.

"You's lucky I like you, girl." he told her, smirking.

Ace didn't reply, instead sipping at her drink and gazing over at Daryl, who was looking back at her with that infuriatingly sexy lopsided smile. She dropped her eyelid in the ghost of a wink and kicked his foot under the table, signalling that she wanted him to lean forward.

Luckily, all the guys were now too distracted by the arrival of more women to notice as Daryl did just that.

"What's on your mind?" he asked her, his voice low.

"How about I finish this drink and we get the hell outta here?"

Daryl sat back in his seat with a smirk on his face.

"Your place or mine?"


	9. Chapter 9

_OH MY GOD, I AM SO SORRY! I know I told you guys in my last A/N that my updates would be slow while I was homeless, but I did not think it would be so long. I really cannot apologise enough. Anyway, an update on my situation. Still going through a divorce (it's a slow process in Australia, there's no such thing as a quickie divorce here. It can't be finalised until you have been separated for a year.), but my boyfriend and I have found a studio apartment in the city, so we're happy with that. Still fighting for custody of my daughter, which isn't easy as I basically have no support from my family, who are all firmly on my ex-husband's side in this whole thing. I am thankful that I have my wonderful partner Adam and his amazing friends around me, they've all been wonderfully helpful and supportive through this whole ordeal._

_So, onto the shoutouts to my reviewers. Starting with__** scoobydoo0811**__; I'm glad you've been enjoying the story my love, and thank you so much for the kind words. __**HaloHunter89**__, I really don't want them hating one another either, but I go where my characters take me. They write this story, I'm just the conduit. Haha. __**Zaii**__, you are most welcome! I feel absolutely awful that it's taken me so long to get this one out, but I really do appreciate knowing that there has been people waiting. __**Leyshla Gisel**__, I fucking love that scene. Favourite bit in that whole movie. And you are absolutely one of my favourite people on this site. Thankyou for all the support, my darling. And, last but not least, __**BellaBloodrayne**__; Thank you so much! The support I've received from everyone on this site has been absolutely astonishing. It's amazing knowing that there's people all over the world who I've never met that are sitting there thinking of me and hoping things work out. I cannot thank you guys enough for all the kind words and thoughts over the last month or so._

_Anyway, without further ado, on with the story. It's a fairly long one to make up for the wait, and the last one being so short. Enjoy!_

**_I do not own Daryl or Merle Dixon, or any other characters you may recognise from AMC's The Walking Dead. The original characters and plotline are my own creation. Please respect that. Also, this fic is rated M for a reason._**

* * *

Ace woke feeling slightly foggy the next morning. The sunlight streamed in through the open curtains, hitting her directly in the eyes, so she sat up groggily, shielding her face against the unwanted intrusion as she glanced down at the warm body beside her, still snoring away.

She smirked down at Daryl's naked, sleeping form. He had certainly shown her a thing or two last night. From the second they had fallen through his front door, his hands had been all over her. In fact, he'd taken her right there against the wall in the hallway by the front door.

Then again on the kitchen bench.

And in the shower.

And on top of the ancient washing machine in the laundry room.

And on the couch.

And on the back porch.

They had finally collapsed into his bed at about three that morning, having done the deed in pretty much every room in the house except Merle's, and that was only because he'd stumbled in the door with a stacked blonde while she and Daryl had been going at it on the porch out back. If he hadn't come home, they probably would have made their way in there, too.

Ace grinned at the memories flooding back to her. As soon as their backs had hit the mattress, Daryl was all over her again and she was ready to go, which surprised her after all the wonderous abuse her body had taken. Although, truth be told, it was amazing that Daryl was even managing an erection by that stage in the game.

That was about when Merle and his blonde had started up in the next room, bed banging against the wall behind them, feminine moaning floating throughout the house. Ace and Daryl had taken this as a challenge, and had immediately set to outdoing the older Dixon and his whore. In Ace's opinion, they had won by a mile, as Daryl had gotten her screaming loud enough to rattle the windows.

Laughing quietly to herself, she nudged the man in question awake.

"Hey! Wake up!" she demanded, smiling as he winced and balled up when she poked his side, where he was ridiculously ticklish.

"Don't wanna!" he whined, his voice muffled as his face was buried in the pillow.

"Too bad." she chuckled. "If I'm awake, so are you."

Finally, he rolled over. He was already scowling at her.

"What the hell d'you have against lettin' a man sleep?" he demanded, his voice raspy and his blue eyes narrowed against the sunlight.

"You don't need sleep! You can sleep when you're dead, now come on! Up!"

Rather than answering, he reached out and seized her around the waist, pulling her in close and rolling half on top of her, making her laugh more.

"Daryl, what the fuck are you doing!?" she cried, struggling the get out from under him as his fingers started roaming her body, finding all the ticklish spots he had discovered the previous night. "Stop, that's not cool! Seriously Daryl, I [i]will[/i] pee in your bed if you don't- oh!"

Her tone suddenly changed as one of his roaming hands closed around her breast, giving it a squeeze before rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"Mmm, don't do that unless you mean it, boy." she warned him, her back arching as much as was possible while supporting Daryl's full weight.

He lifted his head and smirked down at her, his eyes darkening.

"Who says I don't?" he challenged, making her body tingle.

Her mind vaguely registered the fact that he was obviously still drunk as he attached his lips to her neck, sucking and biting hard on the skin, raising a bright purple hickey that she knew she wouldn't get a chance to cover up before starting work.

She moaned in his ear, her teeth nipping gently at the lobe as he continued to kiss up and down her neck. She heard him growl when she buried her hand in the hair at the base of his neck, giving it a light tug. She could feel him growing against her leg, and she felt the heat pool at the apex of her thighs.

_Bang!_

"Daryl! Ace! Up!"

Daryl's lips withdrew from Ace's neck with a loud sucking sound as he turned and scowled at the door.

"Damn it, Merle!" he called out, a frown creasing his brow.

They heard Merle chuckle on the other side of the door.

"Alright, alright." he acquiesced. "But you got ten minutes. Any more'n that 'n I'm kickin' the damn door in!"

Daryl glanced back down at the woman beneath him as they heard his brother's footsteps retreat.

"_Ten fuckin' minutes!?_" Daryl demanded incredulously, his eyebrow cocked.

Ace smirked up at him.

"We can do it." she urged him.

They stared at eachother for a few moments before springing into action. Daryl rolled off of her.

"Hands and knees, baby." he instructed as he flipped her over, taking himself in hand for a few quick strokes as she scrambled to comply.

Ace braced herself as Daryl grabbed her hip, lining them up before thrusting forward roughly. She moaned loudly as he entered her, seeing no reason to try and keep quiet.

"Yeah, that's it." Daryl spoke through gritted teeth as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back sharply,the sound of skin on skin filling the room as he continued to barrell into her.

It wasn't a long process. Daryl was thrusting with all the early-morning energy he had, and Ace had reached a hand down and was rubbing her clit in small, quick circles to help herself along. Soon, they were crossing the finish line together with loud cries and collapsing down next to eachother, their breathing laboured.

All of a sudden came the sound of applause from outside the door.

"Fuckin' _alright, Darylina!_" came Merle's obnoxious drawl.

Daryl lifted his head off the pillow, still gasping for air, and scowled at the door before letting it drop back down, his eyes squeezing shut momentarily as he groaned, this time from annoyance rather than pleasure.

Ace chuckled.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Ace assured him as she sat up, feeling around on the floor for her clothes.

"He's an asshole." Daryl grumbled, not getting up. "Sorry."

Ace shook her head fondly as she shot him a smile and pulled the shirt she had stolen from Daryl over her head. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I'm never gonna see that shirt again, am I?" he asked.

She grinned over at him.

"Sure you will." she assured him. "Just not on you."

Daryl laughed and pulled himself up off the mattress, kicking a pile of dirty clothes aside as he searched for a pair of boxers.

"Here." Ace supplied, grabbing a clean-looking pair from the floor beside her and tossing them over to him.

Daryl thanked her and surreptitiously and pressed the fabric to his nose while her head was turned, making sure they were fit for use before slipping them on.

"My jeans over there?" he asked her, scratching his head as she stood up to pull her own over her thighs.

She glanced down at her feet.

"Nope." she told him. "Must've lost 'em somewhere else in the house."

Daryl sighed.

"Alright, I'll go find 'em, I guess." he said, already making his way out the door.

"Hey, you got deoderant I can use?" she called after him. "I kinda stink."

"Top drawer." he told her over his shoulder as he shut the door behind him.

Ace crossed Daryl's room to his dresser and opened the correct drawer, sifting through it for the needed toiletries. She frowned when her hands closed around something lacy amongst the sea of old boxers and dirty magazines. What the hell was that? Daryl certainly didn't strike her as a lace thong kinda guy.

Drawing the item out from under a pile of [i]Hustlers[/i], her frown turned into a knowing grin when she realised that she was clutching her own ripped underwear that she had thrown at him the morning after the first time they had slept together. She chuckled to herself and shook her head as it dawned on her that, if he was keeping a pair of her dirty underwear under his nudie magazines, he had probably been using them for much the same purpose.

A pleasant shiver came over her as the thought of Daryl on his back with his boxers around his knees, his dick in one hand and her underwear in the other crossed her mind, and she squeezed her thighs together for a moment to keep the pooling heat at bay. The thought turned her on way more than it should.

As the door started to open, she quickly stuffed the thong back into the drawer, not wanting to embarrass Daryl when he was sobering up, lest he retreat into his shell again. She quickly grabbed the stick of roll-on stuffed down beside a pile of underwear and pushed the drawer shut just as Daryl stepped into the room, his jeans now firmly in place over his boxers.

"You find it?" he asked her as he kicked the door shut behind him again.

"Yeah." she confirmed as she popped the cap off and rolled the deoderant under her arms. "Thanks."

She finished with it and tossed it to Daryl, who did the same before pulling another sleeveless shirt over his head, this time plain grey.

"Guess we should get out to the garage." Daryl told her once he had tucked his deoderant back into his drawer.

Ace nodded as she knotted Daryl's shirt up like she had the day before, beginning to follow him from the room.

"So." she began as she walked down the front steps behind him. "I hate to bring it up now, but we didn't use anything again last night. Or this mornin'. Or yesterday in the kitchen."

Daryl stopped dead in his tracks, his face draining of all colour.

"Shit." he swore under his breath. "We really gotta keep on top of that, huh?"

Ace chuckled and nodded, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she kicked at a rock on the ground with the toe of her boots.

"Yeah, we're kinda bad at it." she agreed, still smirking. "You're the guy, ain't you supposed to have that shit on lock? Y'know, condoms in your wallet and under your bed and all that shit."

She laughed again and then squealed a little as Daryl's hands darted out and grabbed her hips, pulling her back flush to his chest and nipping on the skin of her neck playfully.

"Hey, don't you try to pin that shit on me. Dunno if you noticed, but I wasn't exactly gettin' laid a whole lot before you came along." he pointed out, his voice low and his breath leaving goosebumps on the back of her neck as his lips continued to trail up and down the area. "And besides, ain't my fault. You're the one gettin' me all worked up, not really leavin' any room for common fuckin' sense."

Ace laughed once more, grinding her backside into his hips, making Daryl groan and pull back slightly.

"Hey now, none of that here." he warned her, glancing furtively around for any sight of his older brother. "On work time now, 'member?"

"Well, I guess it ain't your fault that evolution decided to give men two heads and only enough blood to run one at a time." Ace teased as she pulled out of his grip completely. "And you fuckin' started it."

Before Daryl could reply, she was gone through the doors of the garage and into Merle's office. He followed her and leaned against the bench outside, listening as Ace told his brother that she would be back in a few, that there was something she needed to take care of real quick.

She re-emerged from the office and shot Daryl a smile.

"Be back soon." she promised him on the way past.

"Keys are still in the truck!" Daryl called after her, hearing her shout of thanks carried on the morning breeze.

He heard his truck start up and back out of the driveway before his attention was claimed by Merle stepping out of the office and grabbing a beer from the fridge.

"You want one?" he asked his younger brother, who wrinkled his nose.

"It's barely nine, Merle." he pointed out.

Merle merely shrugged.

"Suit yourself." he said, popping the cap off his bottle and leaning back against the work bench beside his brother. "Wanna tell me why there's a dent in the washing machine?"

Daryl glanced over at the older man, his eyebrow cocked.

"Why do you care?" he asked curiously. "Since when d'you do fuckin' laundry?"

"Don't care." Merle clarified with another shrug. "Just wonderin' is all..."

Daryl sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Jesus Merle, just ask." he told his brother. "I can tell it's fuckin' killin' ya."

Merle's face split into a lecherous grin.

"You fucked her on the washin' machine, didn't ya!? he exclaimed.

Daryl chuckled, a light blush creeping into his face.

"Yeah Merle, I did." he told him, humoring his brother's need to know every single detail of Daryl's sex life. "And on the counter. And the couch. And a couple other places. Now can ya shut up?"

Merle chuckled and shook his head as he raised his beer to his lips.

"So where's she gone?" he asked after a moment.

Daryl frowned.

"Don't we got work to do?" he replied, eager to get off the subject. He knew Ace must be making a dash to the pharmacy, but he didn't want to dwell on it as the mere thought of accidentally knocking Ace up made him shiver.

"Alright, shit!" Merle exclaimed, raising his palms in surrender. "Sorry I fuckin' asked. Troy's bringin' his wife's Hyundai in at ten. Needs new brake pads fitted. And when Ace gets back I'm puttin' her to work on my bike. Damn thing's been needin' a tune up for a while now. And while she's doin' that, I gotta take your truck and go pick up a part for Donnie's truck."

Daryl nodded thoughtfully, his mind elsewhere.

"So can I count on ya to get that shit done while I'm gone, or am I gonna walk in on you gettin' balls deep on the hood of Lucy's car?"

Daryl shot his brother a withering glare, Merle's only reaction to raise his eyebrows slightly, his expression one of amusement at his younger brother's discomfort. The younger Dixon contemplated for a moment smacking his brother in the jaw, but quickly thought better of it.

"We'll be fine." he insisted, his tone venomous.

Just to end the conversation, Daryl left Merle leaning against the bench and crossed to his bay, pulling out the tools he would be needing later to change the brakes on Lucy's Hyundai. Merle watched him work, slowly downing one beer and starting another before they heard Daryl's truck pull up outside.

Ace walked around the corner a few seconds later. She had obviously gone home to change while she was out, as her jeans had been replaced by yet another pair of denim cut-offs (black this time instead of her traditional blue) and, rather than Daryl's shirt, her top half was now encased in a loose-fitting off-the-shoulder green t-shirt that she had obviously cut the neckline out of at some point, as well as the middle. Privately, Daryl wondered if she owned clothes that she [i]hadn't[/i] taken scissors to.

Merle set his beer down on the bench and turned to Ace as she walked towards him.

"Keys." he demanded, holding his hand out.

She tossed them in his direction and he snatched them out of mid-air.

"I'll be gone for probably a couple hours. Closest I could find these parts was two damn towns over. You two be okay here on your own?"

Ace rolled her eyes as she caught the undertone. He may as well have said _I'm going out, don't fuck._

"We'll be _fine_." she assured him emphatically. "What am I doin' while you're gone?"

Merle nodded towards her bay where his bike was waiting.

"Go over it, find things that ain't runnin' right, fix it all up." he told her. "And get it done fast, because you got a Ducati booked in at one."

Ace cocked an eyebrow.

"Who the fuck around here owns a _Ducati_?" she questioned incredulously.

"Sammy's brother's in from Atlanta." Merle filled her in. "It's his, and he needs it looked at. Think you can handle that, darlin'?"

She shot him a scowl and punched him lightly in the arm.

"Yeah, I got it." she told him sourly. "Now fuck off."

With a grin and a chuckle, Merle began to leave the garage, giving Ace a cheery wave over his shoulder as he went. Her scowl deepend and she flipped the bird at his retreating back before heading over to her bay and getting to work.

"You get it taken care of?" came Daryl's voice a few moments later, the apprehension and concern evident in it.

She shot him a smile and nodded.

"Yeah." she assured him. "I'm goin' down to the doctor after work. Gonna get a prescription for the Pill. Least then if we don't remember a condom it ain't a big deal."

Daryl nodded as he came to join her in the bike bay, pulling up a stool and watching her work in silence, much like he had the day they had met.

"Y'know, this is gettin' to be a bad habit." Ace spoke up after a while, the grin on her face audible in her tone. "You starin' at me while I work."

Daryl smirked and chuckled, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck.

"Can't help it." he admitted. "Ass just looks too damn good all bent over like that."

Ace laughed.

"That's big talk comin' from a man who won't even be able to speak to me in thirty minutes or less." she teased lightly, sitting back on her haunches and turning her head towards him.

Daryl scowled playfully and nudged her backside with the toe of his boot, knocking her off balance momentarily.

"You best be shuttin' the hell up." he warned her, eyebrow cocked. "Smart mouth could get you in trouble, y'know."

There was a slight lull in the conversation during which Ace turned back to her task before Daryl spoke again.

"I'll be fine, by the way."

Ace glanced around at him, confused.

"Huh?"

"When I sober up." he clarified. "Hell, I'm halfway there now. I'm okay as long as I ain't wakin' up sober with you still layin' on me all half-naked and shit."

Ace was silent for a moment, considering his admission.

"So what?" she asked. "In a little while all the sex talk'll stop and I'll just be one of the guys?"

Daryl nodded, unable to sum it up any better.

"That a problem?"

Her face split into a grin.

"Nope." she assured him brightly. "Good to know, actually."

She turned back to the bike again and Daryl smiled, happy to have somewhat sorted his emotions out enough to be able to compartmentalize when it came to Ace. At work, she was his colleage. His buddy. Someone he could screw around with, and someone who had his back when Merle inevitably started in. At the bar, they were still pals but, provided he had poured enough cheap booze down his throat, there was a little more of a sexual edge to their friendly banter. And apparently the occassional blowjob out in the alley. Under the influence in the privacy of one of their homes, they could become lovers, completely uninhibited and open with one another. And when he woke up sober on her sofa the next morning, she was the girl he didn't deserve, and he could sit quietly and feel like shit while trying his damndest not to make things weird. It wasn't much, and it probably wasn't healthy, but it was certainly a step up from not even being able to meet her eyes.

"I'm goin' back to Atlanta this weekend."

Ace's voice sliced through Daryl's quiet reverie like a knife, making him jump as he refocused his attention back on the dark haired woman on the ground before him.

"Huh?" he questioned dumbly, not really having heard her properly the first time.

"Said I'm goin' back to Atlanta." she repeated again as she tightened the fuel line on Merle's bike. "This weekend. Me and Mitch."

"How come?" Daryl wondered, eyebrow cocked.

Ace shrugged.

"Gotta check on my baby sister." she told him simply. "Alone with my momma wasn't exactly the best place for me to leave her, but she's still shy of sixteen and I just needed to get the hell outta there. Figure I'll feel a little better about the whole situation if I just drop in to check up on her at least once a month."

Daryl nodded thoughtfully as he drew his cigarettes out of the top pocket of his shirt.

"Want one?" he asked, offering the pack to Ace after having drawn one out for himself.

She nodded absently and sat back far enough for him to be able to place the cigarette between her lips and light it for her, her brown eyes not leaving the bike in front of her.

"Thanks." she said when she leaned back to her work, the cig dangling from the corner of her lips while she exhaled through her nose, the smoke drifting away in lazy spirals.

"So how long you plannin' on bein' gone?" Daryl asked after a moment.

She shrugged again.

"Leave Friday after work, be back late Sunday." she told him. "That's if I can be around my mom that long without wantin' to smack some sense into the drunken bitch."

Daryl chuckled, remembering his conversation with Mitch the other morning.

"Yeah." he agreed. "I hear you got somethin' of a short fuse."

Ace scoffed.

"And I see you been talkin' to my brother." she replied good-naturedly. "What'd he tell you?"

Daryl crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged.

"Something about prom, a sink and a guy who didn't understand the word _no_." he told her, smirking.

Ace laughed.

"Yeah, he _would_ tell that story." she said with a nod. "But hey, I made bail, went to court and did my community service. Ain't had nothin' more serious than a few tickets for public intox and speeding since."

Daryl opened his mouth with a smartass answer, but closed it again when he heard a car turn into the drive. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he noticed that it'd barely been half an hour, far too soon for Merle to be back, so he assumed it must be Troy dropping off his wife's car.

He got up off the stool he had been settled on and made his way back over to his bay, waving the older man into the garage. He drove the red Hyundai hatch in and put it in park and climbed out, throwing Daryl a friendly greeting as he adjusted his cap.

"How's it goin', son?"

Daryl smiled and grasped Troy's outstretched hand, giving it a firm shake. The guy was in his late forties and owned the local hardware store. He and his wife and kids had always been kind to Daryl and his brother, inviting them round for dinner when they knew times were tough and fronting half the money that they had needed to open up the garage in the first place.

"Not so bad, Troy." Daryl replied. "Been keepin' busy?"

Troy nodded.

"Always." he said with a chuckle.

"Hey, you met Ace?" Daryl asked, inclining his head towards the girl in the bike bay, who stood up with a smile on her face and made her way over to join the two men, stealing the rag from Daryl's pocket and wiping her hands off before offering one of them to Troy, who grasped and shook it eagerly.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." he said, shooting her a grin. He had a couple of teeth missing, but everything about the man still screamed friendliness. "Heard a lot about you."

"All good, I hope." she replied.

"Course." Troy assured her. "My wife's just _dyin'_ to get her hands on the woman Merle Dixon trusts enough to let into his garage, believe you me."

Ace laughed and excused herself, saying she had to get back to work before Merle came back and booted her ass for slacking off on his precious bike. Daryl and Troy continued to catch up for a few more minutes before Troy bid good-day and began his walk back over to his store and Daryl set to work on the car.

The hours passed and Merle soon returned, dumping the box of parts on a workbench and heading straight for his office with nary a greeting for his brother or Ace.

"Yeah, hello to you too, asshole!" Ace called after him as the door to the office closed behind him.

She glanced at Daryl, who grinned and shook his head at her before turning back to Lucy's car. The brakes had been finished a while ago but, whenever Troy or Lucy brought their cars in, Daryl would always throw in an oil change and basic service for free; his way of thanking them for all the help they had given in the past.

Only when Ace finished up with his bike did Merle emerge from the office, throwing her a thank-you as he swung his leg over it and started it up, roaring out of the garage to take it for a test.

"Does he ever do any actual fuckin' work?" Ace asked Daryl, who merely snorted in response.

One o'clock rolled around and Sammy's brother Earl dropped around with his Ducati. The sight of him made Ace roll her eyes. _Typical city boy_, she thought. She had encountered enough of his type during her time in Atlanta. Clean-cut, well-dressed and an attitude that said, in no uncertain terms, _I'm better than you._

He spoke to Ace in a condescending tone, telling her about the problems he was having with his bike, loading up his monologue with as many technical terms as possible, some of which Ace noticed he seemed to have pulled out of his ass on the spot, either to make himself seem like he knew what he was talking about, or trying to catch her out on being incompetent. She simply stood there stoically as he talked, nodding where appropriate and assuring him bluntly that she'd take care of it. When he left the garage to go to his brother, waiting outside in his car, Daryl shot a poisonous look at the man's back.

"Asshole." he muttered under his breath, making Ace smile.

"Steady on, Tiger." she calmed him with a smirk. "I've dealt with worse."

Daryl smiled at her and turned back to the job, Ace doing the same. When Earl came back for his bike a couple hours later, he told her [i]good job, little lady[/i], handed her his money and slapped her on the ass on his way out. She saw Daryl's grip tighten on the wrench in his hand, but caught his eye and shook her head, letting him know it wasn't worth it. She then took the cash the man had given her and took it into Merle's office, leaving it on top of a stack of order forms on his desk and checking over todays bookings, seeing the column with her name over the top with an empty afternoon.

"Looks like I'm done for the day." she told Daryl as she re-emerged from the office.

He glanced up at her briefly and grunted before turning back to the car.

"You headin' home?"

She shrugged.

"Depends. You need a hand?"

"Can go dig some coolant outta the box in back if ya want." he told her.

She nodded and turned around, pulling the correct box out from under the workbench and retrieving a bottle of coolant, tossing it across the garage at Daryl.

"Anything else?"

"Nope. Can head off if ya want. I'll tell Merle when he gets back."

"Ah, _shit_!" she muttered, her voice echoing in the garage.

"What?" Daryl asked, standing up and glancing at her, a questioning look on his face.

"I s'pose if I wanna be takin' off to Atlanta this weekend, I gotta ask the asshole for Saturday off, huh?" she replied, smiling sheepishly.

Daryl chuckled.

"Might be an idea." he agreed. "You can go hang out in the house while you wait for him if ya want. Beer's in the fridge. TV don't get no reception, but we gotta few DVDs layin' around."

Ace smiled and nodded gratefully.

"Thanks."

He nodded his acknowledgement and went back to work as she walked past him, jumping and blushing as she playfully slapped his ass on her way.

"Watch it, girlie." he told her warningly, glancing over his shoulder and shooting her a furtive smirk.

She merely laughed in response and left the garage, allowing him to focus his attention back on Lucy's car. It was taking a lot longer than it should've, even with the free service thrown in. Luckily, he had no other jobs that day so he could take his time, which worked out well when he discovered a loose engine mount and a leaky radiator hose. He would replace them for free and tell Merle nothing about it. His big brother was fine with Daryl servicing their cars for nothing, but he drew the line at giving away parts. But, taking into consideration how much Troy and Lucy had helped them out, Daryl just couldn't bring himself to charge them.

He paused for a moment and reached behind his back, hiking his jeans up where they had started to slip down over his ass, the cheek which Ace had slapped still stinging lightly. He had been sober for a while now, but work was work and, exactly as he had told her earlier, he was fine as long as neither of them were naked and she wasn't making any overt advances. A smack on the ass in the workplace meant nothing. She routinely did the same to Merle, and they both did the same back, although Daryl was a lot more discreet about it.

He hoped she wouldn't be bored waiting up in the house. He and Merle didn't really spend lot of time inside. They were either in the garage, out hunting or at the bar and, if they were home, they kept to their rooms most of the time. He couldn't even remembered the last time he had watched a movie in the living room. Probably that weekend a month or so ago when Merle had gone home with some cheap two-bit skank and, feeling lonely, he had...

His eyes widened as he dropped the wrench, hearing it clatter against the engine block and drop to the cement underneath the car.

"_Shit_!" he hissed under his breath, turning abruptly and hurrying from the garage, hoping like hell that Merle had used the television since that weekend.

He didn't know how he would stand the humiliation if he hadn't.

Daryl bounded up the front steps and threw the screen door open, barrelling into the house and stopping dead in his tracks when he heard the telltale moans coming from the living room. Standing in the hall, he took a moment to gather himself, willing the blush that was slowly but surely creeping up his neck to retreat. With a deep breath, he continued through the house and into the living room.

Ace was settled back on the couch, beer clutched firmly in hand, her eyes watching the screen with an amused look dancing behind them. On the television before her, a skinny blonde with gravity-defying fake tits writhed naked over the hood of an old car, an equally nude man rutting away at her from behind. Daryl felt his blush return full force as the raven haired woman on his sofa turned to face him, her lips quirking up in half a smile.

"You got some interestin' taste in porn, Dixon." she said, smirking enigmatically at him.

Daryl averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I, uh... Yeah. Sorry about that." he muttered, still not looking at her. "Forgot it was even in there."

She laughed at his obvious discomfort.

"It's fine, Daryl." she assured him with a shrug. "We all gotta rub one out sometimes. Although I'll admit this wasn't exactly what I had in mind when you said I could watch a movie."

He gave a nervous chuckle and apologised again, still staring down at the dirty off-white carpet.

"How the fuck d'you suppose they twist 'emselves into positions like that?" Ace asked, watching the television with one eyebrow raised as she studied how the woman contorted her body to get her feet behind her head. "Don't look sexy at all. Looks fuckin' _painful_."

Chancing a quick look at the television, Daryl couldn't help but agree. Several times Merle had come home from a night out with a woman, bragging about how _that bitch got her legs so far up behind her head, she was almost eatin' her_ own _damn pussy_, but Daryl had always failed to see the attraction. It looked uncomfortable for the woman and awkward for the man trying his best to position himself over her without hiding the juicy parts from the camera.

"You okay there?"

Daryl jumped as Ace's voice cut through his thoughts once again. He caught her eyes briefly, but looked away just a fast, positive he was blushing again.

"'M fine." he assured her, shifting awkwardly on his feet.

Ace laughed.

"C'mon, Dixon, don't you got work to do?" she teased. "Just leave me in peace to watch your damn porno."

Daryl smiled in spite of himself and shook his head, turning slowly on his heel and leaving the room without another word. Ace waited until she heard the door close behind him before turning back to the television, watching what was happening but not really paying attention as her mind wandered.

She couldn't help but laugh at Daryl's awkwardness. He'd been fine with her all day, even after sobering up, and she had been delighted at the progress he was making. Then she had to find the skin flick he had probably left in the DVD player by accident and it was all shot to hell.

It was kinda cute, though. She'd had the same thing happen to her before, Mitch turning on the television in her bedroom at the house in which they had lived with their mother in Atlanta, only to find that his little sister had been 'borrowing' the DVDs he had thought he kept well-hidden under his bed. It probably should have embarrassed her when her brother had come storming out of her room, red-faced and flustered, waving the sleeve of the offending movie in her face and demanding to know what the hell she thought she was doing, but she had found it funny then, too. She had never known why people were so weird about sex. She had always been open about it.

Sighing to herself, she drained the last of her beer and set it down on the end table, hearing the unmistakable sound of Merle's bike roaring into the driveway. She grabbed the remote and switched the TV off, pausing to remove the DVD from the player and slip it back into the case in an effort to save Daryl any future embarrassment before heading back outside.

"Hey Merle!" she called to the older Dixon, bounding down the front steps.

He paused as he was about to enter the garage and turned to face her, his eyebrow going up.

"What the hell were you doin' in there?" he demanded, casting a suspiscious eye over her, looking for anything out of place. "Don't tell me y'all were-"

"No, jackass, we weren't." she cut him off, quickly assuring him that she and Daryl had not been messing around in the house again when they should've been working. "I finished up a while ago, was just havin' a beer and watchin' some TV while I waited for you to get back. Gotta ask a favour."

"What ya want?" he asked, turning again and heading into the garage, Ace following behind him.

"I need Saturday off." she told him, choosing not to mince words. "Me and Mitch are headed back to Atlanta for the weekend to see our little sister."

Merle sighed.

"Barely been here two weeks and you're askin' for time off?" he asked jokingly. "Jeeze Girlie, next thing you'll be askin' me to just hand my balls right on over to ya."

Ace chuckled and shook her head.

"You know I already got 'em in my back pocket, old man." she shot back teasingly. "So can I have the day off or not?"

Merle glanced over at Daryl, who was just closing the hood of Lucy's car, before shrugging.

"Why the hell not?" he conceded. "Long as you're back for work by Monday."

She nodded.

"That's the plan."

"Good. Now get on outta here." he told her, shooing her away with his hands. "Got no more need for ya this afternoon. Need a ride?"

She shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, I called Mitch. He's waitin' for me up on the corner."

Merle nodded.

"Ya comin' to Sammy's tonight?"

She shrugged non-commitally.

"Probably." she told him before glancing over his shoulder at Daryl. "See ya later, Little Dixon." she called to him before turning to head out the door. "Maybe after the bar we can come back here again, watch a [i]movie[/i] together."

And with one last chuckle, she was gone.

Merle turned to Daryl, who had quickly averted his gaze. _She just couldn't resist that parting shot._

"What she mean by that?" Merle asked his younger brother, eyebrow raised.

Daryl shrugged, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"How the hell should I know?" he spat bad-temperedly.

Merle chuckled at his brother's discomfort before changing the subject.

"You finished with the car?" he asked, inclining his head towards the Hyundai.

"Uh-huh." Daryl confirmed. "Was just about to call Troy to come pick it up."

Merle glanced at the clock, noticing that it was now nearing four PM.

"I got it." he assured the younger man with a wave of his hand. "Just go on up and change, we'll head out to the bar soon."

Daryl nodded and grabbed the rag from his pocket, wiping his hands off on it and throwing it down on a workbench before heading up to the house. He felt a vibration against his leg as he moved up the front steps, and he quickly fished his phone out of his pocket, flipping it open to read the text message waiting for him.

_I took the DVD out and tossed it back into your room._ it read. _Wasn't kidding, either. We should watch it together sometime ;)._

Daryl allowed himself a chuckle, glad he could be sober and laugh at Ace's dirty jokes and obvious come-ons now that she wasn't right here in front of him. He flipped his phone shut and stuffed it back in his pocket as he pulled the screen door open, stepping into the house and kicking it shut behind him again.

Once in his room, he glanced down at his bed and smiled, seeing the case of the movie Ace had found resting on his pillow. He bent down and picked it up, surveying the front cover, which read _American Muscle #5_ in gaudy yellow lettering, before flipping it over and examining the women displayed on the back.

Platinum blondes, most of them. All with cartoonish looking tits, tiny waists and pubic hair shaved into a neat line going up the centre of their mounds. Daryl supposed it was hot enough, although fake tits had never really appealed to him, and it left him completely mystified as to why women would go through all the time and effort to shave _down there_ and end up leaving a little behind anyway. Why not just one way or the other?

He sighed to himself and tossed the DVD back down onto his bed before pulling his grease stained shirt over his head and throwing it onto the huge pile of dirty clothes against his wall. He opened his drawer and sifted through the few shirts left in it, finally coming up with an old t-shirt with the sleeves still intact. He threw it over his head and then set to unbuckling his belt, letting his jeans fall at his feet and kicking them off before grabbing a cleaner pair off the top of his dresser.

On his way back out of the house to find his brother, he paused in the bathroom and examined himself in the mirror briefly, frowning at what he saw. He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up a little, and turned on the tap, splasing some water over his face to shift the grease marks. After drying his face on the towel hanging from the rack, he left the room and made his way back out to the garage, finding Merle pulling on his jacket and tucking his smokes into his pocket.

"You ready?" Merle asked the minute Daryl came into his line of sight.

"Uh-huh." he replied, grabbing his demin jacket off the hook near the office door and throwing it around his shoulders.

The brothers made their way out to Daryl's truck in silence, which was odd for Merle, who usually never shut the hell up. Daryl climbed into the driver's seat and started the ignition, backing slowly out of the drive before swinging around and taking off down the street.

"Hey, Daryl?" Merle piped up from the passenger seat after a moment.

Daryl glanced over at his brother, eyebrow cocked, surprised to hear the asshole actually calling him by his name.

"What?" he replied, his interest piqued.

Merle was silent for a moment, gazing out the window before he answered.

"Little red ridges on your dick ain't healthy, is it?"

Merle was so uncharacteristically quiet that Daryl wasn't sure he'd heard correctly at first. It took a moment for the words to register but, when they did, Daryl's features contorted with disgust.

"What the hell, man!?" he demanded. "_No_, they ain't!"

Merle grimaced.

"Yeah, didn't think so." he replied. "I'll call the doctor in the mornin', I suppose."

Daryl's repulsion faded fast, quickly being replaced with childish amusement.

"That what's had your fuckin' panties in a bunch all day?" he asked, smirking as he fought back a chuckle.

Merle frowned at him, annoyed.

"Laugh it up, asshole." he spat, crossing his arms over his chest and staring determinedly out the window, not meeting his brother's eyes. "Knew I shouldn't'a brought that skank home last night."

Daryl snorted, unable to keep the laughter in any longer.

"Yeah, ya fuckin' tellin' me!" he said through his mirth. "Bitch gave you the clap, bro!"

Merle punched his brother hard in the arm and told him to shut up, and Daryl spent the rest of the drive to the bar shaking with silent laughter, watching as the older man shifted uncomfortably in his seat the whole way, trying not to let his jeans rub against his groin too much.

When they pulled up in front of Sammy's, Mitch's Dodge was already parked a few spaces away. Daryl and Merle climbed out of the truck and headed inside, shedding their jackets quickly in the warmth of the bar. Merle slunk off to join his friends, shooting dirty looks at every woman he encountered along the way, while Daryl paused at the door, blue eyes scanning the bar for any sign of either of the Hatlins.

He spotted Mitch and Mandy up at the bar, the tall man's arm slung casually around the redhead's shoulders as he swigged from a dark green bottle. Daryl slowly made his way over to them, sidling up next to Mitch and ordering a beer before turning to face him.

"Hey." he said casually as he accepted his drink from Sammy.

"Hey." Mitch replied, greeting Daryl with a smile.

"Hi Daryl!" Mandy said brightly from Mitch's other side, the flush in her cheeks telling him she was already a few deep.

"How's it goin', Mandy?" he said before turning back to Mitch without waiting for a reply. "Your sister around?"

Mitch's face split into a grin.

"Nah, she had me drop her off at the doctor's." he replied. "Said somethin' about gettin' her stitches looked at, but I'm not sure if I believe her. Why?"

Daryl shrugged, doing his best to look unconcerned.

"Just askin'." he told Mitch, taking a deep swig.

Mitch nodded, a knowing smile on his face as he clapped Daryl on the back.

"Don't worry, she'll be here soon. She said she'd just walk up from the clinic." he assured the younger man. "Then y'all can get on out into the alley and... do whatever it is you do."

Daryl blushed, but laughed nonetheless. He was growing more comfortable around Ace's brother now that he was sure he wasn't about to get his teeth smashed in for sleeping with the man's sister.

He continued to make small talk with Mitch and Mandy, turning in his seat every time the door swung open, hoping to see long dark hair and big brown eyes looking back at him from across the bar. He was anxious to see her outside of work, he admitted to himself. They'd had sex the last three days in a row, which was the longest consecutive streak he'd ever hit with one woman. Not only was he currently having the most mindblowing sex of his life with the most attractive woman to ever give him the time of day, however. He also liked the camraderie he felt they shared, and the fact that he could feel comfortable around her once the deed was done rather than wanting to boot her ass straight out the door.

"Hey, Prince Charming!"

Daryl started as the female voice went through him, derailing his train of thought faster than a speeding bullet. He glanced over at Mandy and cocked an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked dumbly.

She smiled and nodded towards the door.

"Your Cinderella's here." she informed him, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "One shoe and all."

Daryl followed Mandy's gaze and, sure enough, found Ace standing at the door with one boot on and the other clutched in her hand, a frown on her face as she tipped it upside down and banged it against the doorframe before bending down to pull it back onto her foot and making her way to join them at the bar.

"What the hell were you doin' with one shoe on!?" Mandy demanded with a giggle as soon as she reached them, not even giving her a chance to order a drink first.

Ace pulled a face.

"Walked the whole way here with a fuckin' rock in my shoe!" she told them. "Had to get it out."

Mandy and Mitch laughed as Ace sat down on the stool next to Daryl and signalled Sammy for her usual, a glass of whiskey being set down in front of her not even a minute later.

"Wanted to thank ya for lookin' at Earl's bike today, Ace." the bartender told her with a smile.

She nodded as she took a sip.

"No problem." she assured him. "Just tell the asshole to keep his damn hands to himself next time."

Sammy grimaced and nodded, as though he had forseen his brother's behaviour, before bustling off to serve a couple of bikers at the other end of the bar.

"You get your stitches looked at?" Mitch asked his sister, who looked momentarily confused.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I did." she lied, blushing a little bit.

Mitch grinned, knowing he had caught her out but deciding not to push it. Ace chuckled a little and turned to Daryl, who smiled at her as he raised his beer to his lips once more.

"So, what's new?" she asked him as her brother snickered away behind her back.

"Merle's got the clap." Daryl blurted out before he could stop himself, laughing as Ace wrinkled her nose.

"Oh, that's gross!" she exclaimed. "Dirty old bastard!"

Daryl chuckled again before taking a sip of his beer.

"Got me thinkin'." he admitted, quiet enough so that Mitch and Mandy couldn't hear. "Do you... I mean, have ya... Aw fuck, we just ain't never really talked about that, have we?"

Ace's brow furrowed.

"No." she replied. "Why? There somethin' you wanna tell me?"

Daryl hurriedly shook his head.

"Fuck no!" he insisted. "What about you?"

"I'm clean." she assured him firmly, draining her whiskey.

They were silent for a minute before she spoke again.

"I got crabs in tenth grade." she admitted in a low voice, surprising herself.

Daryl's eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"Not from that!" she clarified hastily, blushing beet red. "I... My friend loaned me a pair of sweats to sleep in when I stayed at her place one night after a fight with my momma. I went commando under 'em. Woke up itchin' like hell the next day, and the bitch never even apologised!"

Daryl laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smirked, feeling an oddly heady surge of power when he realised that their roles were reversed for the moment, with her embarrassed and unsure and him sitting pretty and listening to her best attempt at not making an ass of herself in this situation.

"Hey, it don't matter." he promised her. "Just as long as I ain't gonna... y'know... catch nothin'."

Her blush deepend as she assured him that he wouldn't, regretting even bringing it up in the first place. She folded her arms on the bar in front of her and dropped her forehead down onto them.

"Oh god, just don't let me talk anymore!" she cried, her voice muffled.

Daryl laughed and slapped her on the back, ordering her another drink.

The night wore on and everyone just kept drinking. Before long, Daryl was drunk and Ace's hand was resting on his inner thigh, moving up and giving him a furtive squeeze through his jeans every now and then, his erection steadily growing under her touch. Finally, after draining his last beer, he leaned forward and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her towards him.

"You get those pills sorted out?"

She nodded.

"Took one just before I got here." she told him, a knowing smile working it's way to her face.

"Well, in that case," he practically growled in her ear. "How about that movie?"


End file.
